People love posting impressive photographs and descriptions of their computer setups online. And other people love either drooling over them or mercilessly criticizing them.
But no matter what technology appears — lets say a new-ish M1 MacBook Pro, a 4K wide-screen display, an excellent 4K webcam, rock-solid input devices and a reliable standing desk, as in today’s featured setup — it’s all forgotten if there’s a pet in the picture.
Worried that the U.S. government is trying to make sure emergency alerts it sends to smartphones are working — and you don’t even know about it?
Well, now you can make sure you receive those test alerts thanks to a new toggle Apple added to iOS 15.6 and the third iOS 16 beta.
A letter from progressive members of the U.S. House of Representatives this week urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to call for votes soon on a pair of antitrust bills that would rein in the power of tech giants like Apple and Google in an attempt to open up competition from more companies.
Without votes “in the next few weeks,” lawmakers’ upcoming months-long recess could delay action considerably.
Designer and Apple maven Basic Apple Guy offered a delightful surprise Friday with his new “Apple Stage” wallpaper for Mac, iPad and iPhone.
The stunning rainbow wallpaper sports a design inspired by the real-life, six-color stage structure created by Cupertino design legend Jony Ive at Apple Park.
We like Friday Setups posts to be on the fun side. We look for entertaining gear, wacky decor and exotic locations. Today we found a Dutch guy who works in IT management via his M1 iMac.
That doesn’t sound especially fun, but he also wields a pretty badass electric guitar.
He runs the axe into a Focusrite audio interface and listens to his musical creations on a killer set of cans, too.
With Apple in the antitrust spotlight both abroad and in the U.S., Cupertino is spending more than it ever has before on political lobbying.
And CEO Tim Cook has become one of the most politically active tech executives in the country.
Back in May, Cult of Mac wrote about wait times for Studio Display shipments stretching into August. But now, four months after Cupertino rolled out the $1,600 monitor, shipping-time estimates are dropping fast in many countries, including the U.S.
Cupertino sent out a new summer-themed Apple Pay promotion Thursday with special deals on clothing, shoes, accessories and more. You can get up to 70% off items from GOAT and significant discount from a dozen other retailers. That means you can get the crazy-looking Yeezy 450 ‘Sulfur’ sneakers for $157 (regularly $200).
The discounts come from popular stores like Crocs, Ray-Ban, J.Crew, Lands’ End, Gymboree, Matt & Nat, The RealReal and others. Hit the links below.
When you spend a pretty penny on an iPhone 13 — OK, more like a thousand bucks, probably — you realize you better protect the dearly expensive gadget. Good thing SwitchEasy features all the accessories you need. You have your choice of cases, plus screen protectors and more.
And best of all, you can get 20% off all SwitchEasy iPhone 13 accessories in the Cult of Mac Store. But you need to act fast: This sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on July 21.
Eve Systems offered its second-generation Eve Motion sensor Thursday, adding a light sensor and Thread mesh networking support. The device detects motion to activate other HomeKit-enabled devices.
And it’s actually less expensive than the previous model by $10.
The Thread standard that will be integral to the upcoming Matter home automation technology standard that helps different manufacturers’ devices work together.
Yesterday’s iOS 15.6 update and the newest iOS 16 beta show a surprising move on Apple’s part. It took away the Find My app’s AirTag battery indicator.
Previously, when you opened an AirTag card in Find My, you’d see a small battery icon showing remaining power below the tracking device’s name and location, Now you don’t, or at least not until remaining power is critically low.
Some people buy vertically striped shirts in order to look slimmer. But on an Apple Watch band, stripes generally just make it look different from every other strap out there.
Casetify calls its Saffiano leather Apple Watch bands with such decoration “Chic Stripes,” and it looks like a pretty accurate description. Buy one of these affordable bands and you might look a little more chic.
So check out the pair of elegant choices in the Cult of Mac Store’s Casetify Chic Stripes collection.
The guy who brought us the world’s first USB-C iPhone (and sold it for $86,001 on eBay) is now training his soldering pen on the AirPods charging case.
Engineering and robotics student Ken Pillonel put out a new video addressing AirPods’ repairability problem — they’re made to be replaced, not repaired. He demonstrated how he 3D-printed a new case and swapped the Lightning port for USB-C.
Some of the best computer setups look a little boring at a glance. But that’s just because they include only essential gear and they keep it well lit and free of cable (and other) clutter.
Today’s featured M1 MacBook Air setup is a good example. And that’s not to say it’s plain or overly simple. You can see that in the well-thought-out gear list below, which features 19 items.
Mobile Pixels started a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign Wednesday for Geminos, its new stacked, dual-screen desktop monitor intended to enhance workstations.
This follows last month’s launch of the LG DualUp, a 28-inch screen with a 16:18 aspect ratio, somewhat like two stacked screens in one.
The products aren’t quite the same, but could this be the start of a trend toward tall, oddly shaped monitors?
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Need quicker and more convenient charging for your Apple gadgets? Accessory maker ESR launched its CryoBoost line of MagSafe-compatible accessories Tuesday.
The new CryoBoost lineup includes a 3-in-1 charger, a 2-in-1 charger and car charger. They all increase charging speeds by circulating air over the charging coil and your iPhone, the company said.
A major Thread networking standard update Tuesday brings the Matter home automation technology standard a step closer for those who already own certain devices. Namely, gear that can act as a border router in the smart home — like Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini.
Thread 1.3.0 lets Thread devices work with any other Thread border router. That’s big because Thread will be Matter’s main wireless protocol, along with Wi-Fi.
In recent years Apple Watch has shown itself to be a lifesaver, either by calling for help when a person’s incapacitated or by offering health readings that lead a person to see a doctor.
In the latter category it just happened again. A woman in Maine didn’t believe what the wearable was telling her at first. But going to the ER led to open-heart surgery that saved her from a probable fatal stroke.
★★★★☆
In the ongoing mania for wireless earbuds and headphones, it’s easy to forget that their older wired siblings still have distinct advantages — namely, great sound for less money.
With no need to worry about analog-to-digital conversion and compression for Bluetooth, wired-gear manufacturers can focus on audio quality at a good price.
New York City-based Strauss & Wagner sent me a pair of its EM205 wired earbuds to try out, and they didn’t disappoint. You can find cheaper wired earbuds with good sound, but you can’t really go wrong with these for $39.95. They feature excellent balance and clarity with a comfortable fit and good build quality.
Apple Watch makes for a great activity and health tracker, whether you’re just going for a stroll or sweating serious bullets at the gym. But you don’t necessarily want a heavy steel band or a fine leather strap with that, though, do you? You want something designed for exercise. Something light and flexible.
That something is the Laut Active Apple Watch Band. It’s so smooth and light you may forget you’re wearing it, except when its vibrant color catches your eye.
Apple violates U.S. antitrust law by making sure Apple Pay is the only e-wallet way to tap to pay via an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, a new class-action lawsuit filed Monday alleges.
The complaint says Apple profits illegally to the tune of $1 billion a year or more by blocking competitors like Google Pay and Samsung Pay from offering tap-to-pay transactions on Apple devices.
Cupertino’s latest Apple Store location is coming to tony Brompton Road, London, on July 28. To go along with that opening Apple just put out a flowery new wallpaper with some hidden imagery to help pique your interest.
Among the exotic flora in the image above, can you spot an Apple Pencil, an iPhone and Siri remote? That’s not everything lurking there, but it’s a start.
In the very near future Apple Arcade will lose 15 games, according to a new section in the Arcade area of the App Store labeled as “Leaving Arcade Soon.”
So if you subscribe to Apple Arcade or think you might — it’s $4.99 a month — consider downloading those games before they’re gone.
And according to new information about the situation, some games may return, but Apple Arcade subscribers who had them will have to re-download them.
A new supernatural series for kids and families is coming to Apple TV+. The streaming service dropped a trailer for Surfside Girls Monday showing best surfer-girl friends solving supernatural mysteries in their sleepy California beach town.
And did we mention: pirates! They fit into this. There’s some sort of cave-portal and a pirate ship and a friendly boy who is, somehow, a pirate, apparently.
The adventurous mystery series debuts August 19 on Apple TV+.