Newly updated Soundcore Liberty 5 noise-canceling wireless earbuds pack enhanced voice reduction, more-adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) and improved Dolby immersive audio, the Anker Innovations brand said Wednesday.
And did we mention the price dropped by $20 since Liberty 4? So now they’re even less expensive than Apple’s various AirPods Pro 2, at $129.
The sleek new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds designed to stay on during workouts of any intensity only came out in February 2025. But you can already get a 20% discount. That brings down the list price from $249.99 to $199.99, a savings of $50. And that applies to all four color choices!
So maybe you buy these and that becomes your motivation to get back to the gym. Everybody wins.
EarFun looks set to make some waves in the premium headphones market with its new Tune Pro cans. They could make devotees of AirPods Max and other fancy headphones sit up and take notice. The wireless noise-canceling Tune Pro headphones, scheduled for official release May 20, launch Tuesday with an early-bird deal bringing the already-low list price of $70 down to a stunning $49 for a limited time.
My review of these new headphones is coming soon. I’m already testing them. And I’ll just say this for now: Getting these great cans for under $50 seems like a miracle deal.
Careful mounting of devices is a hallmark of light and clean computer setups because it lifts most of the gear up off the desk, making room for other gear or simply creating clean, open space. In today’s setup, the MacBook Pro sitting open on a stand is just one of three small screens, including a portable monitor, that nicely complement and expand the Studio Display.
Apple showed off its 2025 Pride Collection Monday ahead of Pride Month, featuring a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band alongside matching watch faces and wallpapers for iPhone and iPad. The collection celebrates the “strength and beauty of LGBTQ+ communities around the world” with vibrant, rainbow-themed designs.
In a move that could interest Apple users looking to expand their audio options, LG Electronics unveiled its new “xboom by will.i.am” lineup of Bluetooth speakers and earbuds recently. When a big electronics maker puts out four new products at once — complete with celebrity sound engineer in the mix — it tends to grab out attention.
When companies talk about quarterly earnings, executives often deploy language designed to puff up, excuse or obfuscate their companies’ recent performance. The goal is to excite investors over implied future success. And ultimately to give the company more money. Always. More. Money. The Apple quarterly earnings call takes place Thursday afternoon.
But when you’re the iPhone giant — with a mind-blowing market cap and a seemingly never-ending supply of hit products, including ongoing growth in services — you typically don’t need to craft hopeful-yet-non-material statements or deflect questions designed to get at the true bottom line.
So CEO Tim Cook and new CFO Kevan Parekh will report on all the numbers (former CFO Luca Maestri stepped down January 1, 2025). Because many tariff impacts are yet to come, analysts predict a 4% revenue increase year-over-year, plus a jump in earnings per share. Note that Apple starts its fiscal year with Q1 in the previous year’s holiday season, so calendar quarters trail its fiscal quarters.
A new battle brews in the tech world as major app developers band together to challenge Apple and Google’s control over the mobile ecosystem, according to a new report. Meta, Match and Spotify join forces against Apple and Google, forming a lobbying coalition aimed at influencing policy around age verification requirements and addressing long-standing grievances about app store practices.
“Everything starts with a dream,” goes an old saying — and it even applies to computer setups. Today’s attractive and highly functional M4 Pro MacBook Pro, Mac mini and Studio Display setup amounts to a dream for its owner. But in expressing that dream on social media, its owner found commenters had plenty to say about their versions of “an Apple fan’s dream setup.”
The excellent Beats Studio Pro noise-canceling headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre normally cost $349 — though they’re often on sale at around $250. But right now you can grab a nice Beats Studio Pro deal on Amazon for just $169.99 in two colors, dune and matte white (51% 0ff). Meanwhile, Best Buy goes with the $250 price, as does Amazon for several colors.
And if you want to save even more, you can buy open-box Beats Studio Pro headphones for just $145 from Cult of Mac Deals.
With zero fanfare Apple launched a new website Tuesday called “Snapshot.” It appears they designed it as a discovery platform for fans to learn more about celebrities across Apple’s ecosystem of services, like Apple TV+, Apple Music and Apple Podcasts.
While the concept shows promise, the execution leaves much to be desired in its current form because it’s so limited.
The new Maono DM40 Pro Wireless Gaming Microphone brings professional-grade audio quality and cool features like AI voice effects, the company said Tuesday. Also sporting Apple-esque design sensibilities, the new mic looks like a great companion for your Mac gaming and streaming setup. And you can get 10% off right now, too.
With one great Anker charger deal — or maybe two or three — you can cover most if not all of your device-charging needs. That’s because accessories powerhouse Anker offers an array of deals on charging combos like power banks bundled with cables or pairs of different chargers bundled together at up to 10% off through June 30. So with one purchase, you can save up to $55 and get two products at once. Whether you want to save even more with additional purchases is up to you. See the deals below.
OK, today’s MacBook setup doesn’t actually live in a camera and Lego museum like the headline on this post suggests — but close enough. The user is clearly a collector. The sheer number of cameras on display is impressive, and the Lego Star Wars spaceships flying up high on a shelf in the photo inspire some awe, too. And it’s not every day we see a dual-MacBook setup with both mounted open on stands, either.
Celebrated Apple TV+ shows Slow Horses, Bad Sisters and The Velveteen Rabbit won BAFTA Television Craft Awards at a ceremony Sunday in London. Espionage thriller Slow Horses nabbed two while the others took home one apiece.
BAFTA’s craft awards are similar to technical Emmy and Oscars awards, bestowed separately from the main awards. The main BAFTA awards ceremony takes place May 11.
Today’s featured computer setup pretty much has it all in terms of enviable gear, though it could use better lighting. Its M1 Max Mac Studio may not be the latest Apple M-series desktop, but it’s still formidable. And it drives a Pro Display XDR, perhaps the ultimate external monitor. And the setup even excels at the little things, including great audio gear and a pair of illuminated pegboard stands I’ve never seen before.
In another significant leadership reshuffle at Apple, a little-known robotics team will soon move from AI chief John Giannandrea’s oversight to John Ternus, Apple’s senior VP of Hardware Engineering, according to a new report Thursday.
This shift follows last month’s decision to remove Siri from Giannandrea’s responsibilities after concerns about execution on product development.
The new Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station with Thunderbolt 5 cable offers blazing-fast and broad connectivity for Mac users, the company said Wednesday. The dock is part of a wave of incredible new docks and hubs based on the technological advance.
Most of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 lineup may receive a significant memory upgrade that will power the next generation of Apple Intelligence features, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Thursday. The iPhone Series 17 RAM boost will even come to the rumored ultra-thin iPhone 17 “Air.”
In 1920, Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi defrauded investors in the Boston area and across the nation of what would today be a quarter of a billion dollars, going from penniless to the high life in no time and giving the classic “Ponzi scheme” its name, Apple TV+ said Thursday. It plans to tell the story of Ponzi’s mercurial rise and devastating fall in Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story, an eight-episode docudrama set to premiere on Apple Podcasts June 23.
And to listen, you can hook up your Apple TV+ account to Apple Podcasts to gain full access to the series. I’m betting it’s worth the investment of your time (but keep your money safe).
With Global Close Your Rings Day upon us, Apple Watch owners around the world showed off the pins they earned Thursday by participating in Apple’s fitness-oriented special event. The day marks a decade of Apple Watch Activity rings helping keep users active for their health.
“Apple Watch has changed the way people think about, monitor and engage with their fitness and health,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, in a press release Monday announcing the event. “A decade ago, we introduced Activity rings — and since then, Apple Watch has grown to offer an extensive set of features designed to empower every user. People write to us almost every day sharing how Apple Watch has made a difference in their life, from motivating them to move more throughout the day, to changing the trajectory of their health.”
The advanced new Nebula X1 4K smart projector features triple-laser light projection and the first liquid-cooling system in the industry, Nebula said Wednesday. Calling it “the ultimate backyard projector,” the Anker subsidiary hopes the device will revolutionize backyard entertainment with innovative features and easy setup.
Apple device users looking for a more compact and versatile charging solution now have a compelling new option in the new CukTech 15 140W GaN Charger, the company said Wednesday. That’s particularly good news for MacBook Pro owners. And not just because of the 40% off launch discount — but because this charger packs enough power for laptops.
Two new videos surfaced recently that use dummy units to show just how incredibly — even shockingly — thin the iPhone 17 Air will be when it comes out in several months.
“That’s futuristic,” one reviewer exclaimed, adding he doubted Apple will sell any other iPhone Series 17 models when customers see and feel the rumored slim model.
Anyone who follows along with my Setups coverage for Cult of Mac probably knows I’ve got a soft spot for great audio. And while my own setup and its surroundings bristle with solid audio gear, today’s M4 Mac mini workstation makes me twitch with envy. You can’t go wrong with KEF speakers — complete with subwoofer under the desk — as long as you have the cash to acquire them. And I’ve wanted Bowers & Wilkins headphones for years.