Apple TV+ correctly referred to its hit psycho-drama Severance as a “cultural phenomenon” Sunday when it pointed out the show nabbed Best Drama and Best New Series at the Writers Guild Awards. It’s the only show to win two major categories this year.
Maxed-out Mac Studio drives ‘dream setup’ Down Under [Setups]
With all the computer setups showcased on social media, it takes something special to earn the description “dream setup.” Today’s featured Mac Studio Ultra and M2 Max MacBook Pro setup, which hails from Australia, could be a contender.
Why? Well, when you combine two of Apple’s newest and most powerful computers with a Studio Display and put them in a beautifully laid out workstation with great cable management and premium audio, you’ve got a real ripsnorter (to put it like an Aussie might).
Wannabe pro wrestlers go mano a mano in Monster Factory documentary trailer
You might love pro wrestling and find documentary films tiresome — or vice versa. Either way, the new trailer for the upcoming Monster Factory documentary series on Apple TV+ may be for you. It tells the stories of those yearning to get into the ring.
Just the fact that a school trains aspiring pro wrestlers on every aspect of getting into the business is interesting. And so are some of the contenders trying to change their lives.
New Apple TV+ trailer showcases Real Madrid soccer club’s epic season
Apple TV+ kicked off an upcoming documentary series — Real Madrid: Until the End — with a trailer Wednesday. In it, soccer icon David Beckham raves about the famous Spanish soccer club’s remarkable 2021-2022 season. It was loaded with drama and plenty of come-from-behind victories on the way to the club taking the Champions League title.
The three-part documentary series premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 10.
3 loaded iMacs and a PC pump up 8-display workstation [Setups]
In Monday’s featured computer setup we showcased four tall displays and mentioned we sometimes see six-display setups. But how about eight displays in one setup? That’s today’s outfit.
Hoa Mai, who works in post production on documentary films in Los Angeles, sent Cult of Mac his massive setup. It features three iMacs, a PC and five Dell 4K monitors. Talk about Mission Control.
Want to never lose your keys again? Here’s how.
If you’re tired of misplacing or flat-out losing your keys, take heart. Accessories maker Mujjo introduced its new, luxe-leather Canopy AirTag Keychain on Tuesday.
It includes a little magnet to help keep the AirTag tracking device in place inside the pocket. And while it’s just another one of many AirTag keychains out there, it looks like a nice option.
Google tweaks Chrome to reduce MacBook battery drain
Google said Tuesday it’s making several changes to the Chrome browser to make it less of a MacBook battery hog. Modifications include adjusting timers to wake the CPU less often, tuning memory compression and further optimizing Energy Saver mode.
The company’s tests using a 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro suggest the tweaks may help folks browse for 17 hours or watch YouTube for 18 hours on a single charge.
Your new wardrobe hero: Stunning braided-metal Apple Watch band
“Meet your new wardrobe hero!” Goldenerre enthused about its drop-dead gorgeous Herringbone Braided Apple Watch band. It comes in gold, rose gold or silver stainless steel. It’s another Goldenerre piece that makes a statement. It could be yours for less than $150.
And you can find your new wardrobe hero in the Cult of Mac Store. Whether you’re going to dinner around the corner or at The White House, this thing fits in.
Last chance to save 15% on tough case for Apple Watch Ultra
Everyone knows Apple Watch Ultra is made for the rough stuff — endurance sports, scuba diving, summiting high peaks and the like. However, rugged though it may be, it’s just a smartwatch. It’s not bulletproof. So why not toughen it up with the protective-but-sleek Elkson Quattro Pro 2.0 bumper case?
Better yet, you can get 15% off the case through the end of February in the Cult of Mac Store. Then, the next time you put your Ultra through its paces, you’ll enjoy some extra peace of mind.
Even Roy Kent warms up in Ted Lasso trailer’s love-fest
The season 3 trailer for hit Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso is a total love-fest. Not a lot happens in it. But everyone’s so happy the show is back — if only for one final, fleeting season of humor and hope — that it doesn’t much matter, does it?
Just watch the trailer, which Apple released Monday, and be positive!
US cybersecurity chief thinks Microsoft and Twitter can learn from Apple
A high-level US cybersecurity official pointed to Apple as an example of a company with good accountability and transparency in its security practices. And she added others — like tech giants Microsoft and Twitter — might learn a thing or two from it.
“Apple is taking ownership for the security outcomes of their users,” said Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly in a speech Monday at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.
Elephas app uses AI to take the time and tedium out of writing
People in almost any business must write from time to time, whether they like it or not. But whatever the project — like a marketer’s blog post, a business leader’s executive summary or a developer’s technical use case — there’s a tool out there that makes writing easy and effective.
High-end MacBook Pro sits in a forest of tall 5K displays [Setups]
At Cult of Mac, we’re no strangers to looking at computer setups loaded with displays — even as many as six. But we’re less used to seeing certain orientations, like in today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro and custom PC setup.
The workstation seems to reach for the ceiling with four 5K displays. Two stack horizontally in landscape mode and two stand tall, shoulder-to-shoulder in portrait mode.
Beats Fit Pro earbuds in bright new colors already $30 off
Cult of Mac reported Tuesday that Beats Fit Pro would come out in three bright new colors. And as of Friday, two of those three new cheerful hues showed up on Amazon at $30 off. That was fast.
The somewhat dark tidal blue is sticking at the normal price of $199.95, but volt yellow and coral pink — the colors that will really get you noticed — are now just $169.83.
Steve Jobs Archive shares blast from the past on his birthday
On what would have been Steve Jobs’ 68th birthday, the Steve Jobs Archive shared a favorite photo from 1984 — along with the promise of more content to come.
“We have so much to tell you about, but I want to start by sharing one of my favorite images from our collection,” wrote Leslie Berlin, the archive’s co-founder and executive director, in an email newsletter. “It’s Steve in 1984, spotting a new Macintosh in the wild.”
Here’s how you gut a whole office and start over [Setups]
How refreshing it must be to make over your computer setup and, while you’re at it, gut and refresh your whole home office. That’s what Michael De Jong did recently. And he shared his transition with Cult of Mac.
First, he tinkered with the setup, going with dual displays and adding a soundbar and a slick gaming chair. Later he gutted the whole office and added a whole raft of upgrades. Take a look at his photos and gear, new and old, below.
Affordable new Sony headphones borrow premium cans’ tech
Not into paying what Apple’s top-shelf noise-cancelling AirPods Max headphones cost? You have options. In fact, Sony Electronics rolled out two new mid-tier headphones Tuesday at modest price points — the over-ear WH-CH72ON and the smaller, on-ear WH-CH520.
The higher-end WH-CH72ON set, at $150, costs well under half the price of the brand’s acclaimed WH-1000XM5 noise-cancelling cans, but uses the same V1 chip. And the lower-end WH-CH520 headphones, at $60, are just downright affordable.
Shake hands with the world’s creepiest Apple Watch charging stand
Got access to a 3D printer? You can make your own Apple Watch charging stand in the form of “Thing,” the disembodied hand from the Netflix series Wednesday and its Addams Family predecessors, all the way back to the original magazine cartoons.
It might scare some people, but ghoulish types are going to want to make his thing pronto.
Choose from a dozen slick iPad cases at 20% off
If you’ve got one of Apple’s wonderful iPads, you need a case to keep it safe. And the cool thing about iPad cases and folios is that they often serve as both protective cases as well as stands. Some even store your Apple Pencil.
And right now you can take 20% off every SwitchEasy iPad case in the Cult of Mac Store. That gives you a choice of 12 different products and a savings of up to $10 each. The sale goes through Thursday, March 2.
Inside the secret mission to add glucose monitor to Apple Watch
Apple Watch is well-known as a health tracker, but a new report said a secret project dating back to Steve Jobs’ era — to use the wearable to monitor glucose without pricking the skin to get blood — has made headway recently. And that has major implications.
The secret effort, known as E5, could involve a device that straps to the bicep and works with the watch. If it comes to market, it could disrupt industries and help millions of diabetics.
Here’s your chance to talk directly to Jon Stewart [Updated]
Jon Stewart, longtime host of The Daily Show and current host of The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+ — and to many folks a sort of comedic conscience of the nation — will take your calls on Thursday, February 23.
That’s the same day the streaming service said six new episodes of Stewart’s show would air weekly starting Friday, March 3.
Meanwhile, he’s doing a livestream on the The Problem‘s YouTube channel at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. “He’ll be taking your calls,” the show tweeted.
High praise for hard-to-find Bose speakers [Setups]
The main gear in a computer setup might be perfectly impressive, like the Mac Studio desktop machine in today’s featured setup. But that’s not what everyone looking at the workstation notices and talks about on social media.
Instead, the coveted items in this particular setup are a Bose speaker system folks are having a hard time finding, plus a Belkin Continuity Camera mount that helps you use an iPhone as a webcam.
Why you can trust Dashlane password management: Never breached, always secure
These days, with data breaches on the rise, even companies whose job is to keep you secure online are suffering data disasters. But not security-first password manager Dashlane. It has never been breached. Not every password management company can say that.
New Sonos Era smart speakers take direct aim at HomePod
A new leak indicates Sonos will release its new Sonos Era 100 and 300 smart speakers in March with a slew of features that challenge Apple’s recently relaunched HomePod.
Of the two new Sonos speakers, the pricier Era 300 features a version of spatial audio. Both support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB-C line-in for versatile connectivity. The Era 100 is likely to replace the much-liked Sonos One, launched in 2017.
New HiRise Pro adjustable MacBook stand also charges iPhone
Accessories maker Twelve South introduced a successor to its original HiRise stand for MacBook released about a decade ago — the new HiRise Pro for MacBook. You can watch the video below.
You can adjust its height for almost any use, it matches Apple’s Pro accessories in color and finish, and it features a spot in the base where you can insert a MagSafe charger to juice up your iPhone and other gadgets.