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.
In one scene, the mom asks for wine because she doesn't want to "die sober." Photo: Apple TV+
Vineyards in rural Spain might not be far enough away from murderous New York City loan sharks for safety, judging by the Land of Women trailer. The six-episode dramatic-comedy series starring Eva Longoria debuts Wednesday on Apple TV+. And it looks pretty fun.
Update: Apple TV+ released the first two episodes, or “chapters,” of Land of Woman today. Early reviews call it “winning,” a “feel-good drama” and a “palatable comfort-food family portrait.”
Apple Watch Ultra 2 may be the greatest wearable of all time. Photo: Apple
Want a great deal on Apple Watch in time to wear it over the July 4 holiday weekend? Amazon has your back. You can get up to 25% off a brand new Apple Watch SE, series 9 or Ultra 2 — all the current models. Shipping ranges from same-day to two-day for Prime members and almost that quick for others.
Looks like things are about to go south for the big-time author played by Cate Blanchett. Photo: Apple TV+
Looks like Cate Blanchett might get a vile taste of her own medicine at the hands of Kevin Kline in upcoming psychological thriller Disclaimer, according to a “first look” at the limited series Apple TV+ put out Tuesday. That could be dawning horror on the Oscar winner’s face in the new image, above.
Notably, Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Gravity, Roma) created and directed the show. Based on a bestselling novel, Disclaimer premieres on Apple TV+ October 11.
If you want to crush the game, you need an effective Pokémon Go spoofer. Image: iToolab
Location-based augmented-reality game Pokémon Go is massively popular. But if you want to crush it without actually having to walk all over the place, you need to “spoof,” or simulate, the GPS location shown on your iOS or Android device. You can do that with the easy-to-use iToolab AnyGo app. It’s an effective and affordable Pokémon Go spoofer.
Most of the gear here is from NZXT. So let's look into that. Photo: [email protected]
Not being huge PC gamers, we aren’t particularly familiar with NZXT, a company based in Los Angeles that makes high-performance gaming PCs and the gear that goes with them. So when we saw today’s M1 Mac mini setup looking like a giant ad for NZXT, we thought we’d give it a look. The user loves his NZXT Relay lineup of gear, including powerful speakers and a wired headset with a surprisingly functional stand.
You can find M2 Max MacBook Pro models in Woot's sale, as well as models with Intel chips. Photo: Apple
Whether you want to spend about $2,200 or only about $220, you can have a MacBook Pro. That’s if you visit Amazon bargain site Woot! by June 27. Its sale on refurbished and new laptops features quite a variety of machines at low prices.
Satechi's new Qi2 wireless car charger will top your iPhone or Android device with speed. Photo: Satechi
The new Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger will replenish your iPhone or Android handset battery fast on the road, the well-known tech accessories company said Thursday. That’s because the compact, space-gray Qi2 charger packs a full 15 watts of charging power, MagSafe-style, rather than the routine 7.5 many older chargers bring.
So if you have an iPhone 12 series handset or newer, or a Qi2-enabled Android phone, it can get a nice extra energy boost in the car.
First it looked like Apple TV+ might stream a big new international tournament in 2025, now it doesn't. Photo: Riccardo Bresciani/Pexels CC
FIFA’s ongoing struggle to launch and broadcast a new international soccer tournament next year in the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup continue, as its talks with Apple over broadcast rights have stalled, according to a report.
Apparently $1 billion won’t cut it for soccer’s global governing body.
Malaysia's first Apple Store has some over-the-top design features. Photo: Apple
Apple’s latest retail shop sports a stunning multilevel design featuring an exotic hat on top — aka a tiered-pyramid roof. The iPhone giant showcased its first store in Malaysia, Apple The Exchange TRX, on Thursday. It opens Saturday in Kuala Lumpur. It will employ a staggering 160 team members offering the full array of Apple products and services in a dramatic location.
“We live for moments when we can surprise and delight our customers, and we’re excited to do that in Malaysia with the opening of our first store in the country, Apple The Exchange TRX,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail.
“Being able to support and directly connect with a new community is always a special experience for our retail teams, and we can’t wait to welcome customers to this beautiful space designed for discovery, creativity, and shopping for the world’s most innovative products,” she added.
★★★☆☆
The Motion Sport band in ultra orange catches the eye, but it's not actually visible from space (probably). Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
A rubber Apple Watch band has plenty of uses, like when want to you take the wearable along for heavy workouts or swimming without worrying about getting it wet. Add some style, just the right amount of ventilation and a secure clasp and you have solid athletic Apple Watch band. And that’s just what you get in the new Journey Motion Apple Watch Sport Band (with just a few quibbles, below).
If you love old-school video games, you're about to get a treat. Photo: Antstream
In a first, a catalog of more than 1,300 classic games will come to the Apple Store for iPhone and iPad as of June 27, retro gaming service Antstream said Tuesday. Antstream Arcade’s upcoming launch on the App Store follows recent worldwide changes Apple made in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.
This shot from Universal Audio shows the Apollo Twin Duo audio interface in action. Photo: Universal Audio
If you want great sound out of your computer setup, you need excellent speakers, of course. But if you work with music rather than just listening to it, you also need a top audio interface for Mac to run between your computer and other gear. Today’s MacBook Pro setup incorporates one of our top picks in a recent roundup of best audio interfaces for Mac and pairs it with a nice set of Yamaha speakers.
★★★★☆
The new Alogic Echelon keyboard and mouse get the job done with understated style. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Alogic rolled out its new Echelon wireless keyboard and mouse last week, offering a pair of sleek, solid, affordable and eminently practical input devices for Mac users. I swapped out a couple of Logitech devices to try Alogic’s, and I’m not missing Logi’s gear so far. In a word, you could call the Echelon input devices “minimalist.” But they have all the features you need, and then some.
Glenn Miller's orchestra will sound great on this thing. Shown here in the black walnut finish. Photo: Edifier
Edifier’s new D32 speaker, a stylish and powerful wireless speaker that looks a bit like your grandfather’s radio, packs modern audio technology. Its hi-res audio capabilities and robust 60-watt amplifier system sit inside a hand-made wooden cabinet with crazy-cool retro buttons. And it costs just $170, which might seem steep to your grandpa, but it’s not bad.
You can get M3 Pro and M3 Max MacBooks Pro models in space black and yes, the sale includes them. Photo: Apple
Sometimes Amazon stuns us with outstanding bargains. This week it’s big discounts on Apple’s powerhouse M3 MacBook Pro, in all or most of its iterations. You can save up to $350 off M3 MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip and solid specs, but that’s just one of many deals. We list six below where you can save anywhere from $200 to $350 on your machine of choice.
Pairing them with Apple (or Android) devices and using Apple (or Google) Find My will be easy. Photo: Beats
You can preorder the newly updated Beats Solo Buds headphones June 18 and expect shipping to commence June 20, Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre said.
At just about half the cost of AirPods 3 and ready-made to pair with Apple devices with long battery life and a truly tiny case, the new buds could be a tempting get for a lot of folks. And big sound is promised, too, according to the video below.
UPDATE: As noted above, Beats Solo Buds became available to order today, Tuesday, June 18, and should ship starting Thursday.
Photos showing celebrities like Lebron James with the speaker started surfacing in April 2024. Photo: Beats
A cryptic new video ad featuring basketball star Lebron James rapping along with L’il Wayne suggested Monday that the long-rumored return of the discontinued Beats Pill+ speaker could be just one week away.
That’s if the video’s ending reference to “The Predicament 6.25” means the updated speaker, which celebrities have been photographed carrying around recently, will launch next Tuesday.
It's a great time to buy the iPad Air from 2022. Photo: Apple
The new 11-inch and 13-inch M2 iPad Air models are great tablets, but not everyone wants to throw down $600 or more. And not everyone needs bleeding-edge performance. That’s why sales on the previous models like the one right now at Best Buy are such great opportunities. You can chop $200 off M1 iPad Air and enjoy it for years to come.
In this shot from Yunzii, the X75 Mechanical Keyboard features clear key caps and clear switches with RGB lighting. Photo: Yunzii
Ever since computers like iMac G3 pulled off the trick, transparent computer gear has come in and out of style. And now transparent keyboards are having a bit of a moment. One good example is the Yunzii X75 Mechanical Keyboard seen in today’s MacBook Pro setup.
This is a mighty handy gadget for just $30. Photo: CukTech
The sleek new CukTech 10, a 100-watt, 10,000mAh power bank with a digital display brings fast mobile charging to laptops, smartphone, gaming console and more, the company said this week. And thanks to a launch sale, you can nab it on Amazon for just under $30. That’s a low price for a power banks with this battery capacity and wattage.
Jon Stewart opened up about how his Apple TV+ show ended up cancelled after two seasons. Photo: Apple TV+
Jon Stewart got super-candid about what really ended his Apple TV+ show, The Problem with Jon Stewart, on a podcast Thursday. He previously hinted at creative differences after the show got canceled, but in the podcast discussion, he went into much more depth — even describing the exact moment he knew it was all over.
Stewart made the remarks in a long conversation on the podast The Town with Matthew Belloni.
The light self-adjusts and allows for very focused lighting. Photo: Dyson
Cult of Mac‘s setups coverage loves to look at premium products, but we often emphasize value with thrifty-but-reliable gear. Today we marvel, however, at just how much one desk lamp can cost. Our MacBook Pro user places a $650 Dyson Solarcycle Morph Desk Light on a very nice Vari sit-stand desk.
Do people really pay that much for a lamp? Even our user claims it was a gift, not a purchase.
This is one of the hottest deals on Apple Pencil 2 we've seen. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Amazon is running some deals on Apple accessories right now, with discounts on AirTag trackers and Apple Pencil models. In addition to some lesser savings, you can actually get $50 off Apple Pencil 2, a solid deal on a great iPad stylus.
★★★★☆
Journey's LOC8 MagSafe iPhone wallet and stand is stylish and Find My-friendly. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Losing a wallet and all its contents can be a major drag. But rather than taking up precious space by inserting a tracking card, why not make the whole wallet a tracker? Enter your replacement wallet, Journey’s stylish LOC8 MagSafe Finder Wallet and Stand. And, oh yeah, did I mention it’s not just a magnetic iPhone wallet, it’s an iPhone stand? Yep. And it works beautifully with Find My, just like an AirTag or an Apple device you’d hate to lose.
And better yet, you can take 20% off the regular price of LOC8 through Father’s Day at Journey or Best Buy. See below.