Massachusetts-based David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV+ shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
You'll look like a real filmmaker carrying this thing around. Photo: Moment
Moment added to its lineup of MagSafe-compatible accessories for iPhone Tuesday with three new products and two product updates. The marquee event is the rollout of the Mobile Filmmaker Cage to enhance your iPhone video shooting.
The cage co-stars with the new Moment Strap Anywhere Mount and the new Stick-on Adapter, which can help mount your smartphone in a variety of situations.
Ukraine's government created a chatbot in the Telegram app to help Ukrainians track Russian troops. Photo: Christian Wiediger/Unsplash
The government of Ukraine recently created a chatbot within the Telegram instant messaging app. It lets Ukrainians use their iPhones to report to their country’s defenders exactly where they see invading Russian troops.
What do you make of the inspirational plaques on the walls around this M1 Max MacBook Pro-driven setup? Photo: [email protected]
We haven’t seen a tremendous number of computer setups centered on powerhouse 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pros — much less such workstations featuring both dual displays and paired original HomePods!
But today’s featured setup is an exception. It boasts those impressive characteristics as well as a useful lesson about not judging a book by its cover as well as striving to be kind online.
If you work in this building, you may have just gotten a little richer. Photo: Apple
Apple is at it again, trying to retain top employees in a competitive marketplace by giving them big money. This time the Cupertino tech giant has handed out a round of special stock bonuses to a group of hardware and software engineers. The amounts range from $100,000 to $200,000.
The new Ikea Vappeby is an LED lantern and a Bluetooth speaker with Spotify Tap. Photo: Ikea
Cue the lights, strike up the music and let the garden party begin. Ikea’s got a new outdoor lantern coming. What’s interesting is that it doubles as the first Bluetooth speaker on the market with Spotify Tap built in.
The one-touch Spotify functionality isn’t the only music streaming service you can use with the lamp, called the Ikea Vappeby. But it’s handy.
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.
Experts speculate Aqara's S3 HomeKit thermostat will launch in the U.S. and Europe at some point. Photo: Aqara
Not satisfied with the thermostats on the market that you can use with HomeKit? Aqara is rolling out its HomeKit-compatible Smart Thermostat S3 with Siri voice support.
While the device is initially available only in China, experts speculate it could be coming to the U.S. and Europe, as well.
This Mac Studio setup's owner said they had to go out and buy a Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse because they couldn't pair their Logitech input devices. Photo: [email protected]
Ever had trouble getting your Mac to recognize third-party peripherals, like a keyboard and mouse? Today’s featured setup is built around a brand-new Mac Studio mounted neatly on a pegboard behind a Samsung super ultra-wide display. But the Apple desktop computer refused to pair with a Logitech keyboard and mouse, according to the owner.
He said he had to go and buy Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse to establish working input devices. So what happened?
Eve Hewson, Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle and Sarah Greene in “Bad Sisters,” coming soon to Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Irish actress, writer and producer Sharon Horgan is known for some darkly funny stuff. Shows like Catastrophe and Pulling. If you like those, you’ll be glad to hear the Emmy Award nominee and BAFTA Award winner is bringing a new dark-comedy-thriller called Bad Sisters to Apple TV+.
The streaming service offered a first-look photo and cast list on Wednesday. The show’s acting ensemble includes Horgan, of course, but also an interesting lineup of collaborators.
A worker inspects machinery at ELYSIS’s Industrial Research and Development Centre in Quebec. Photo: Apple
Apple said Thursday it plans to use the world’s first commercial-grade, low-carbon aluminum in the iPhone SE. It will come from a Canadian company called Elysis. And funds from Apple’s $4.7 billion in Green Bonds supporting green technology will pay for it.
It’s the first aluminum manufactured at industrial scale without carbon emissions. That makes it better for the environment than aluminum produced by other manufacturing techniques.
The 2022 Kia Niro hybrid SUV will feature Car Keys functionality. Photo: Kia
In 2020, Apple launched Car Keys as part of CarPlay in iOS for use with a range of BMW models, allowing owners to use their iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock their car. But soon owners of certain Kia and Genesis car models will be able to do the same.
The Mac Studio replaced an LG 5K monitor. So far, no complaints. Photo: [email protected]
The official release date for sales of Apple’s new Studio Display was Friday, March 18 — same as the Mac Studio desktop computer. Both are winning accolades — the desktop more than the display, actually — but in the days since launch we’ve seen quite a few more of the displays cropping up on social media site posts by new owners than the desktops.
There could be various reasons for that. It could mean more people are buying the displays. Or maybe display shipping has been more efficient. Or it could be that displays are simply a little faster and easier to add to a computer setup, so they’re showing up quicker.
Today’s featured setup pairs the new Studio Display — which ousted an LG 5K monitor — with a 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro.
The LinkedIn profile for Lumon Industries takes issue with the recently released "tell all" book about the fictitious evil company. Photo: Red Hour Films
Every company doing perfectly reputable, above-board business today needs a crisp and descriptive LinkedIn profile. And yes, that includes harrowingly evil and entirely fictitious firms like “Lumon Industries.”
That’s right. Lumon, the ominous company that serves as a setting in the creepy drama Severance on Apple TV+, has a new LinkedIn profile. And it attempts to set the record straight about what some people are saying about the company.
Creators of Apple podcasts will soon be able to access metrics about their followers. Photo: Apple
Apple said Tuesday it’s rolling out a Podcasts update for creators, offering follower metrics and other features. That should help those who produce podcasts to monetize them, in part by tracking their audience through a variety of metrics.
Enabot's slogan for the Ebo Air and Ebo SE robots is "always together." Photo: Enabot
Talk of artificially intelligent personal robots may make some people think of Terminator and “the rise of the machines,” but relax, there’s likely plenty of time before they take over. All nervous kidding aside, in the meantime, companies like Enabot are putting out affordable robots with practical uses. The company launched one on Tuesday.
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the company released its Ebo Air “social companion robot.” The little rolling orb is designed to keep the home safe and loved ones entertained and connected, from pets to kids to grandparents, the company said. If you’re interested in learning more about the latest advancements, check out theEbo robot and its enhanced features.
Apple's Shazam app has added detailed concert and ticket notes to help artists. Photo: Shazam
You may know the Shazam app, owned by Apple, for its ability to recognize songs and artists. But a new update to the app for iOS now also helps you “explore upcoming live music shows.” This comes from a Shazam integration with Bandsintown. Apple and Shazam said the new feature will help increase exposure for artists.
Emilia Jones stars as a child of deaf adults (CODA) in the Apple TV+ film. Photo: Apple TV+
Taking the top film prize at Saturday’s Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards puts Apple TV+ drama CODA in good stead to win the Best Picture prize at the upcoming Academy Awards. The prize the movie took has been a major predictor of Best Picture winners for decades.
Along with CODA’s win at the PGA Awards, the hit Apple TV+ comedy series Ted Lasso took home a prize.
A new Mac Studio desktop and Studio Display anchor this setup. Photo: [email protected]
With Apple’s big “Peek Performance” event only just past and deliveries of newly release products in progress, we see computer setups with new Mac Studio desktops and Studio Display monitors cropping up on social media sites.
Checking in with real people and their first impressions about the gear — and their answers to others’ questions about it — can be a pretty good early look at how things are going with Apple’s latest products.
In Apple's new ad, student battle for electoral supremacy using the powerful new iPad Air. Photo: Apple
With Friday being the official launch day for sales of Apple’s new iPad Air (and the 5G iPhone SE), Apple has rolled out a new ad depicting high school students battling to become class president. The powerful new tablet is their primary weapon.
Apple Books has a "tell-all" about Lumon Industries and the "Severance" procedure. Photo: Apple TV+
Don’t tell Lumon Industries I’m saying this — and later I may not even remember writing it — but Apple Books may be about to blow the lid off this whole “severance” thing.
On Friday it plans to release a “tell-all” book about the sinister company at the center of the chilling drama series Severance on Apple TV+.
Working al fresco can be refreshing. Except for the downpours. And the lizards. Photo: [email protected]
There’s nothing like taking your work outside on a nice day, especially if it’s a Friday — if you live somewhere that allows it, weather-wise. The sounds of the birds. The feel of the breeze. The smell of exhaust fumes from nearby traffic.
But sometimes it’s not about half-playing hooky while working on your tan and pretending to work. Today’s featured setup, looking quite complete and perfectly productive, was driven out of the house by renovations.
StarTech.com's capable new Thunderbolt 4 docking station can broaden your laptop's horizons. Photo: StarTech.com
With Thunderbolt 4 connectivity becoming more and more common in new laptop computers, including various Macs, you may be in the market for a worthy docking station. After all, small, lightweight laptops don’t always have all the ports you need. So it’s a good thing StarTech.com recently released its TB4CDock for Mac and Windows. If you also need an apple sd card reader along with a docking station, consider checking out this 6-port hub from Zagg.
The Thunderbolt 4 station bristles with the ports you need to turn your laptop into a desktop, or close to it.
If you need to bring your Mac Studio desktop computer somewhere, this is a good way to do it. Photo: WaterField Designs
If you buy a powerful new Mac Studio desktop computer and you need to take it somewhere, what are you going to do? Re-pack it? Here’s a better idea. Get a stylish and protective new carrying case like the one WaterField Designs just released.
The San Francisco-based luxury bag maker for tech gear adds the new Mac Studio Shield Case to its list of quality goods, including sturdy leather AirTag accessories and a cool AirPods Max case that Apple should’ve made.
Have Siri tell that robot Roomba vacuum where to go. Photo: iRobot
Siri is about to get better at helping you clean the house. iRobot has begun to roll out an iRobot Genius 4.0 Home Intelligence software update to Roomba robot vacuum and Braava jet robot mop customers. The update brings Siri voice support to all users, at long last.
So cleaning the floors isn’t just for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant anymore.