Sony’s WH-1000XM4 over-ear noise-cancelling wireless headphones are considered one of the best sets of cans in the business. Now a new leak shows what may be in store for the audio giant’s next version, the WH-1000XM5, in terms of a sleek new design and key specs.
Twelve South updates iPhone 13 leather folio case with 2 new colors
Twelve South refreshed its SurfacePad for iPhone leather folio case last week with two colors for springtime. Now you can get the handsome leather accessory not only in Cognac and Black colors, but also in hues Twelve South calls English Lavender blue and Electric Orange.
Singapore chicken rice ‘war’ looks delicious on iPhone 13 Pro
There’s a saying in Singapore that “the camera always eats first.” The folks there love their food and taking pictures of it. And that’s especially true of chicken rice, the subject of Apple’s latest “Shot on iPhone 13 Pro” video.
Poached is a short documentary film about chicken-rice food hawkers at war with one another. It’s a little more than 5 minutes long — time enough to make you hungry.
Apple TV+ documentaries win two BAFTA TV Awards
Apple TV+ won its very first BAFTA TV Awards Sunday for two documentaries, 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room and 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.
Each year the BAFTAs honor the best British programs and productions in addition to honoring films, such as CODA on Apple TV+, with separate awards.
New Sennheiser sport earbuds quiet your heavy breathing
Sennheiser is rolling out a new set of true wireless earbuds for fitness enthusiasts. The company said its Sport True Wireless buds include an Aware EQ passthrough setting that can reduce noises from your own body during exercise, such as your pounding heartbeat, your huffing and puffing, and your footsteps.
Racy MacBook Pro and Xbox rig seeks beefier sound system [Setups]
You can have a lot of good gear in your computer setup but still feel it falls short somehow. Like with today’s featured setup, you could have a recent MacBook Pro and an Xbox Series X gaming console. You could have a sweet curved gaming monitor. You might even have a kick-ass Lego Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car mounted on the wall.
But do you have stellar audio or just OK audio? That’s the issue our setup’s owner faces.
Apple TV+ host Jon Stewart wins prestigious Mark Twain Prize for humor
Comedian Jon Stewart, host of The Problem With Jon Stewart on Apple TV+, won the Mark Twain Prize for humor for his long stint hosting The Daily Show and his activism on behalf of veterans and 9/11 responders.
Stewart received the award at a ceremony Sunday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Get into Slow Horses on Apple TV+ with this spy slang glossary
There’s nothing like discovering a truly rich and deep source of entertainment — like a darkly amusing TV series that you find out is made from a whole lineup of engrossing books that you at least aspire to read. Such is the case with Slow Horses on Apple TV+, adapted from a series of spy-thriller novels by Mick Herron.
The dozen books and subsequent TV show rise from a complex world of spy circles with Cold War underpinnings leading into and out of MI5. That’s the U.K.’s primary security agency, sort of like the FBI in the U.S. In the story, a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents relegated to “Slough House” become embroiled in matters of national security, often at odds with M15 first-stringers.
Even if you’ve got a good ear for U.K. and European accents, you may still find yourself baffled by the in-jokes, shop talk and slang coming out of the characters’ mouths. Good thing there are helpful reference materials out there, like a whole glossary of terms.
Leak shows new Ecobee SmartThermostat will pack air-quality sensor
It appears Ecobee, the Canadian smart home accessories maker, will soon release a new version of its SmartThermostat with an air-quality sensor built right in.
The leak of the upcoming product came in the form of a hidden image in an update to the company’s iOS app.
Get a launch discount on this affordable 3-in-1 magnetic wireless charger
Need a MagSafe-compatible charger that won’t break the bank? Mobile charging specialist Excitrus, known for power banks, rolled out its capable new 3-in-1 MagSafe Wireless Charging Stand on Thursday.
Not only does it come with an 18W fast-charging wall adapter and an elegant LED light circle on the main charging pad, but the price is right — especially with an additional 20% off as a launch discount. See the details below.
Leaked ‘final’ EU antitrust bill looks bad for Apple
The European Union may force Apple to make big changes to its App Store as well as services like FaceTime and Messages, if a leaked version of an EU antitrust proposal becomes law.
The draft is said to be the “final version” of the Digital Markets Act, provisionally approved by EU regulators in March. It seeks to restrict how tech giants operate in order to foster greater competition.
Anker’s new 100W GaN charger beats Apple’s closest offering in 3 ways
Anker showed off its much-anticipated 736 USB Charger at CES back in January. At long last, now you can buy the powerful-but-compact 100W gallium nitride (GaN) charger at Amazon.
And you might want to do just that. It looks like Anker’s new GaN II charger beats Apple’s 96W charger in three ways. It’s smaller, more powerful and more versatile.
Telling a marvelous Mac mini workstation story in pictures [Setups]
A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. So today’s M1 Mac mini-driven computer setup, with eight smashing photos, must be roughly equivalent to 8,000 words. But instead of burying you in a horrible cascade of text, we’ll let the pictures tell most of the elegant rig’s story.
The newly updated setup has some exceedingly nice touches. Each of the photos below includes a little commentary.
Film and TV pros want Apple to love Final Cut Pro as much as they do
In an open letter sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday, more than 100 film and TV professionals called on the company to publicly commit to building its video editing software Final Cut Pro into an industry-standard tool.
The group praised FCP as as “the biggest leap forward in editing technology since the move to digital” but complained it’s not living up to its potential.
The group noted, bitterly, that even the crew on CODA — the first streaming service release to win a Best Picture Oscar, and Apple’s own release — would probably not have chosen to edit it with FCP.
Leak shows Sonos is about to roll out a new budget soundbar
If you’d love to add a Sonos soundbar to your home theater but you find the company’s well-regarded products a tad pricey, just wait. According to a new leak, Sonos will release its least-expensive soundbar ever — just $249 — in early June.
Apple TV+ The Big Conn trailer tracks fraudster’s $550 million scam and run from the law
Former eastern Kentucky lawyer Eric C. Conn is notorious for committing the largest-ever Social Security fraud, bilking the U.S. government and taxpayers out of $550 million. Plus, he partied with porn stars and opened a brothel before leading authorities on a major chase.
Apple TV+ covers the whole sordid affair like a blanket, judging by the new trailer for upcoming documentary series and podcast, The Big Conn.
Protect your Apple Watch in style with Elago’s Duo Case
Accessories maven Elago has a cool new way for you to protect your pricey Apple Watch while also dressing it up. The Elago Duo Case for Apple Watch completely wraps around your wearable’s housing. And the case’s accent pieces in different colors can be swapped out to freshen up your look.
You could have a different-looking case for every day of the week. People might even ask why you have so many Apple Watches!
Apple Fitness+ gets footloose with new Artist Spotlights and dance workouts
Gotta dance? You do if Apple Fitness+ has anything to say about it. Leading up to International Dance Day on April 29, the app is highlighting a new Dance Collection of workouts, a limited-edition award and Artist Spotlight sessions with hit songs and dance moves from artist videos.
Music streamer Tidal adds Siri support (but not for HomePods)
Music streaming service Tidal rolled out its long-awaited Siri integration Wednesday. Subscribers can ask Apple’s voice assistant to play songs, playlists, albums and more on the platform.
That’s great if you play music on an iPhone, iPad or Mac. But the Siri integration with Tidal doesn’t extend to HomePod or HomePod mini, unfortunately.
Telegram app update lets you customize sounds and mute chats
The Telegram Messenger app released a new update this week for iPhone and iPad that lets you set customize sounds for notifications, mute chats and enjoy a few other enhancements.
Apple beefs up fraud prevention for Apple Pay and Wallet app
Apple is in the process of upgrading Apple Pay fraud prevention features for cards stored in the Wallet app on iPhone and Apple Watch, starting with Visa cards.
Some users have already started noticing a new “Enhanced Fraud Prevention” alert badge.
Discontinued HomePod keeps going up in value
Citing lackluster sales, Apple discontinued the original HomePod — the big one — in March 2021. Cupertino chose to focus on the HomePod mini. But now the original version is appreciating in value in online marketplaces, showing surprising resilience.
Most of the time, discontinued gadgets end up in the bargain bin — if they’re sold at all.
Seriously, how big is too big for desktop speakers? [Setups]
We love serious audio here at Setups Central. But is it possible for the audio gear in your computer setup to be too serious? For example, can your desktop speakers be too comically oversized, as if you’re making some sort of visual joke about your life being all about the music?
In today’s featured setup, a magnificent 32-inch Pro Display XDR actually manages to look puny in between two monstrously huge Yamaha powered studio monitors. And yet, believe it or not, they may not actually be too big.
iPhone 16 could finally nullify notch with under-display camera and Face ID
As rumors fly about the upcoming iPhone 14 series, a top analyst is doubling down on his recent assertion that high-end iPhones in 2024 — likely iPhone 16 Pro models — will feature an under-display camera along with under-display Face ID.
If Apple analyst Min-Chi Kuo’s tweet Wednesday turns out to be accurate, the new under-display tech would most likely finally nullify any need for a notch and possibly the pinhole-and-pill design expected in iPhone 14.
Final hours: Take 20% off all Bucardo Apple Watch accessories
If you’re on the hunt for interesting Apple Watch accessories, there is no better time or place than now in the Cult of Mac Store to snag great deals on Bucardo gear.
Bucardo brand Apple Watch accessories, like a variety of sport bands as well as charm necklaces and pocket watch cases for Apple Watch, are all on sale now at 20% off until 11:59 p.m. PDT on April 19.