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.
William Fryer, 83, said Apple Watch saved his life. Photo: WCPO ABC-9 Cincinnati
When an Ohio man went for his usual walk along the river recently and felt his knees turn to rubber, he had no idea what he was in for — other than he was “going down.”
But it turned out his Apple Watch and a health app had a few ideas, and they helped save the fallen 83-year-old’s life.
Trust us, mom will be grateful for the laptop charging when you take her camping. Photo: Bluetti
Mother’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to show appreciation and gratitude for all the hard work and dedication mothers put into their families. And what better way to celebrate that than with Bluetti’s top-of-the-line portable power solutions?
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This Mother’s Day (on May 14 in the United States and many other countries), make your mom feel truly special with Bluetti’s special promotion, which runs through May 18.
The new headphones may look a lot like Beats Studio3 cans, but with big upgrades to functionality. Photo: Apple
Tuesday’s iOS 16.5 release candidate for developers, plus some additional reporting, revealed upgraded Beats Studio Pro noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones in the works, according to a new report.
This follows news of the upcoming Studio Buds+, which came from a premature and short-lived Amazon product listing.
Stackable bracelets add another element to Rilee & Lo's smooth-fitting steel bands. Photo: Rilee & Lo
If you need a classy gift for your mom this Mother’s Day, May 14, why not go with a sleek metal Apple Watch Band and matching stacking bracelets from Rilee & Lo?
Apple said the LGBTQ+ community's strength and beauty inspired this year's Apple Watch Pride Edition. Photo: Apple
Cupertino paid homage to the LGBTQ+ community Tuesday. It rolled out its new Apple Watch Pride Edition watch face, band and iOS wallpaper.
“Celebrating the ongoing movement to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities around the world, Apple is introducing a new Pride Edition Sport Band accompanied by a matching watch face and iOS wallpaper,” the company said.
Final Cut Pro, left, and Logic Pro are finally coming to iPads. Photo: Apple
Ever wished your iPad could serve as a mobile AV studio like your MacBook can? The tablet’s time for pro-level audio and video production has come. Apple said Tuesday Logic Pro for audio and Final Cut Pro for video now work on iPad.
And you’ll be able to download them as subscriptions from the App Store starting May 23.
You get hybrid ANC and multipoint Bluetooth connectivity for $120. Photo: Belkin
Belkin is getting set to release new active noise-canceling (ANC) earbuds, and this time they pack in some premium features at a surprisingly affordable price point.
Belkin SoundForm Pulse earbuds will cost $119.99 and feature not only ANC, but multipoint Bluetooth connectivity and relatively long battery life. Available for preorder, they start shipping at the end of May.
An M2 Max MacBook Pro and a 42-inch OLED display? Yes, please. Photo: [email protected]
Oh, what a joy to go computer-setup shopping — when your employer readily agrees to pay for everything. Today’s featured M2 Max MacBook Pro setup, which features a gorgeous 42-inch OLED smart TV as a display, came into being that very way.
Check out the setup’s gear, below, and see if that’s what you’d buy if your boss handed you a blank check.
★★★★★
With good looks, excellent sound and waterproofing, the Soundcore X600 is a great portable Bluetooth speaker. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Soundcore’s new Motion X600 Hi-Res Bluetooth Speaker is a keeper if you’re after a fantastic-looking portable speaker with convincing-enough spatial audio.
It starts shipping May 9, and if you pay just $1 for an early-bird coupon Monday — before the preorder promotion ends early Tuesday morning — you get the X600 for $149 instead of $199 at launch. That’s a fantastic value for anyone unsure they want to pony up twice as much for a second-gen HomePod.
Ed Sheeran plays on Apple Music Live from London May 10. Photo: Apple Music
Apple Music Live returns for its second season May 10 with a concert by Ed Sheeran at the Eventim Apollo in London. He’ll perform the whole of his new album “-” (aka “subtract,” because it’s a minus sign), Apple Music said Friday.
For the show, Sheeran will play with a 12-piece band that includes The National’s Aaron Dessner, who also produced Sheeran’s album. And in a new twist, you can watch Sheeran’s show and others to follow during the season on Apple TV+.
A Pro Display XDR typically costs about $5,000, but this user got his for quite a bit less. Photo: [email protected]
In a world of shockingly expensive Apple products, one magnificent items stands supreme — Pro Display XDR. If you’re among the legion of Apple fans who can’t quite crack open their wallets wide enough for a $1,600 Studio Display, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Today’s MacBook Pro setup sports a Pro Display XDR that came at a shocking price, too — shockingly good, that is, all things considered.
You can have your pick of older and newer iMacs. Photo: Apple
Want an Apple desktop computer at a good price? Amazon bargain site Woot! is selling refurbished iMacs at discount prices through May 8. You can pick from 21 machines — right now, that is, while they last — with a selection of specs and colors.
The newest rigs date from 2021, most harken back to 2019 and a few date back to 2017 and even 2013.
The Holafly app makes managing eSIMs easy. Photo: Holafly
If you own an iPhone XS or newer, your device comes with eSIM built in. That means you can skip physical SIM cards and simply set up cellular plans for international travel right on your phone, avoiding roaming charges wherever you go.
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You can do that using one of the best apps out there — the Holafly: International eSIM app. With the free app, you can activate and manage eSIMs for different countries from your iPhone. And that means you can enjoy reliable, affordable internet on all your international travels.
Smith, just through the airplane's door, loses his iPhone at 14,000 feet. Photo: [email protected]
You might’ve dropped your iPhone on the floor and felt massive relief to find it undamaged. Or maybe a bit cracked. But what happens when an iPhone plummets 14,000 feet?
Thanks to TikTok and a skydiver who failed to secure his handset, now we know. At least in this one very lucky case.
New sharing features for Reddit content include rich URL previews. Photo: Reddit
Reddit updated its iOS app to allow rich-link previews for shared content, the social media chat site said Tuesday. That makes it easier to see what someone texted your way before you click through.
Before now, you’d just see the URL and have nothing else to go on in terms of what was shared, short of words in the URL or an explanation in the sender’s text.
The lovely and elegant Mesh Link band comes in gold or silver colors. Photo: Goldenerre
Goldenerre calls its Mesh Link Apple Watch Bands its “latest statement piece,” and the company’s not kidding. The beautiful, hand-assembled band will make your wearable stand out like the belle of the ball.
The user learned how to convert the 5K iMac display from a video. Photo: [email protected]
It’s great that Apple put out a high-quality display that costs a lot less than the $5,000 Pro Display XDR. But the Studio Display, at $1,600, is still too pricey for many folks. If you’d rather have a 5K display for way less than a grand, today’s featured M2 Pro Mac mini setup is for you if you’re willing to do some work.
Following an instructional video included below, the user converted a 5K iMac to a 5K standard USB display for about $700.
You can build all sorts of shapes and patterns with the magnetic units. Photo: Yeelight
Yeelight launched its highly customizable, Matter-compatible and almost Lego-like Cube ARGB Table Lamp at CES 2023. You can mix and match its Matrix, Panel and Spotlight elements to suit your computer setup in myriad ways.
And the company’s Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign with early-bird deals of up to 36% off the standard kit ends in three days.
The cable folds into the hub's body, improving portability and reducing cable clutter. Photo: Cable Matters
Cable Matters unveiled a foldable 4K USB-C hub Tuesday for hybrid workers to use on the road or in a home office.
“The Cable Matters Foldable USB-C Multiport Adapter with HDMI & USB Power Delivery (PD) converts a single USB-C port into a multimedia powerhouse, all in a small and ultra-portable form factor,” the company said.
A new companion podcast for "Prehistoric Planet 2" launches May 8. Season 2 debuts May 22. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ dropped the official season 2 trailer for the award-winning natural history series Prehistoric Planet Tuesday. It explores new dinosaur discoveries and diverse habitats from 66 million years ago.
And that’s not all. The streaming service said a new companion podcast looking at the science and filmmaking behind the series launches May 8, ahead of the May 22 season 2 debut.
Isn't it about time you took online passwords seriously? Photo: pCloud
Nobody likes dealing with online passwords, but a future without them has yet to arrive. So, instead of limping along with weak passwords you use over and over again for different websites — a huge security risk — you should get a password manager with top-notch security like pCloud Pass.
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Already known for secure cloud storage, pCloud recently rolled out pCloud Pass. The password manager gives you instant access to encrypted passwords across all your devices. And you can use a free version or choose from affordable plans with extra features.
A working paper studied the price younger workers may pay for working remotely. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
One of the first major studies of the surge in remote work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic suggests out-of-office workers face a “hidden penalty.”
It’s a reduction in feedback and guidance, which may harm people early in their careers the most. The study looked at engineers at a large technology company and the way they offered feedback on each other’s code.
This nursing student's setup is quite affordable. Photo: [email protected]
Many computer setups check all the functionality boxes at a cost of thousands of dollars. But who doesn’t love a complete setup that comes in at bargain-basement cost? Today’s featured MacBook Air workstation seems to cover all the bases without breaking the bank for the user, a nursing student.
How is the setup so affordable? In large part, because it relies on lesser-known brands and, in some cases, older equipment.