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.
Go ahead and hook up three 4K external displays to your M1 or M2 Mac with this new dock. Photo: NewQ
NewQ debuted its 16-in-1 USB-C Docking Station Wednesday with triple-4K-monitor support for Windows and macOS. It expands opportunity for M1 and M2 Macs with limited native external display support (one for MacBooks, two for Mac mini).
Plus, the 16-in-1 dock offers a port for practically any need and powers your laptop.
The Anker 737 MagGo MagSafe charger comes with a USB-C adapter and cable. Photo: Anker
Anker rolled out its latest 15W MagSafe charging stand Tuesday, introducing the 3-in-1 Anker 737 MagGo Charger. It adopts a triangular shape, juicing up iPhones at a full 15W and AirPods and Apple Watch at 5W apiece.
This follows the company’s first 3-in-1 MagSafe fast-charging stand, the Anker Cube, released in October 2022.
The new Jabra Elite 4 buds cost just $99. Photo: Jabra
Jabra unveiled its new Elite 4 wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation Tuesday, offering various premium sound and comfort features for a modest price of $99 — $20 less than the previous version.
“The modern earbud user is looking for tech that’s ready for work and play at their fingertips, while not compromising on key features,” said Calum MacDougall, SVP at Jabra. “The Elite 4 offers a solution to this and is the perfect well-rounded design to help users to concentrate, connect and call without distractions.”
Traveling to another country? With an eSIM, you can rest assured your iPhone can get online. Photo: Jeshoots.com/Unsplash License
You may already know about SIM cards for cellular data, those little microchips that slide on trays in or out of smartphones. But the future of connectivity is eSIM cards, and that future is now.
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iPhones and other smart gadgets already come with eSIM built in. And one of the best ways to use this convenient new technology is to enjoy international travel with unlimited eSIM data from Holafly.
Holafly’s eSIM unlimited data plans cover you when you travel. They’re tailored to your destinations. And they keep your iPhone connected in many countries, hassle-free, while also keeping costs down.
It's an exceptionally clean setup. Even "absurdly" so, as one admirer said. Photo: [email protected]
If there’s one thing computer-setup fans on social media value above all else, it’s a “clean” workstation. The best ones — neither messy nor cluttered with cables — place everything just so. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup does a nice job with that.
And it even hides the laptop as well as an iPad. See how fast you can spot them. One commenter noted it took longer than it should have.
Other desk mats simply aren't as qualified as this one for certain jobs. Photo: Function101
We know what you’re thinking: a “Pro” desk mat? Well, yes, actually. The Function101 Desk Mat Pro is rather capable. Not only does it help protect your desk, it’s a serious tool for often-neglected cable management in and around the computer setup.
And the professional-level desk mat is now available in the Cult of Mac Store for $39.95. Other desk mats just aren’t qualified.
The cabinet on the right holds the computers and more. Photo: [email protected]
We enjoy a lot of variety in our computer setups coverage, from the ultra-minimalist to the mega-maximalist. Today’s featured rig sports two pumped-up Mac Studios, two old Mac Pro “trash cans,” a gaming PC, dual displays and a tremendous array of audio gear.
It falls in the latter category, obviously (“mega”). The lengthy gear list below doesn’t even cover everything in the powerhouse workstation, but it covers all the key elements.
Wemo products like this dimmer switch work with HomeKit over Thread, but forget about Matter certification for now. Photo: Belkin/Wemo
Belkin’s smart-home accessories brand, Wemo, is “backing away from Matter and dimming our dreams of a smart home utopia.” That’s according to a report published Wednesday.
At a time when companies are rushing to ready products for the new smart-home networking standard, which is meant to let different brands work together, Wemo’s hesitation is a surprise.
Its products work only with HomeKit. Now it looks like that won’t change anytime soon.
Passbolt uses a "secret key" for all authentication and encryption, keeping you secure in your online travels. Photo: Passbolt
If you know anything about the dangers of hacking and identity theft lurking online, you may already know an app to manage all of your passwords can be a lifesaver. Passbolt is a good one. It uses a “secret key” for all of its authentication and encryption operations, keeping your information safe.
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This post is brought to you by Passbolt.
Right now, Cult of Mac readers can get 20% off the regular prices of Passbolt Pro and Cloud versions with the special promo code below.
Want an iPhone 13 Pro Max Leather Case with MagSafe? That's 75% off. Photo: Apple
Amazon bargain website Woot! is back with an another Apple sale. You can get up to a stunning 86% off many of the company’s popular accessories.
You can bag bargains on Apple iPhone cases and sleeves, AirTag leather loops and keychains, a MagSafe charger, adapters, cables and more — 25 items in all.
The new speaker sets the mood with lighting framed in a white or black cabinet. Photo: Edifier
Edifier’s new QD35 Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker boasts an unusual combination of features: high-resolution audio playback, pulsating lights and a digital clock.
Oh, and it also offers full-time gallium nitride-powered charging for other devices. So it appears to be a curious but useful — not to mention cool-looking — beast.
Stick the hoop on any tablet or smartphone to make it MagSafe compatible. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
You might have an iPad or maybe an older iPhone. Want them to work seamlessly with MagSafe stands, chargers and such? That’s no problem with the MagEasy Hoop MagSafe Adhesive Ring. You can stick it to practically anything, making that thing magnetic.
And you can get it right now in the Cult of Mac Store for just $15.
Want to save some space on the desk? Try mounting your laptop on a pegboard. Photo: [email protected]
In our never-ending search for interesting computer setups, we love stumbling upon good do-it-yourself (“DIY”) hacks. Today’s featured setup mounts an M1 MacBook Air on the wall in a most-unusual way. It involves a pegboard, a strap and a tablet stand designed for use in the kitchen.
In addition, the setup features a rarely seen mechanical keyboard worth checking out.
Now you can hop on a video call to shop for a new iPhone. Photo: Apple
Apple said Tuesday its US customers can chat with an Apple Specialist over video to shop the iPhone lineup. That includes the new yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus that showed up in stores today.
The new Shop with a Specialist over Video service lets buyers connect with retail team members over a secure, one-way video shopping session, the company said.
Check out the "Big Starry Sur" wallpapers from Basic Apple Guy. Photo: Basic Apple Guy
Basic Apple Guy is out with another striking set of wallpapers you can download for free. He calls them “Big Starry Sur.” It’s “Apple’s Big Sur meets Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night,” he said.
You can download the wallpapers for Mac, iPad and iPhone for free below. And it’s nice if you leave him a tip for his effort, too. If you’re looking for ways to use a laptop as a second monitor, check out this deal on the Duex Plus DS Laptop Screen Extender.
Check out the fleur and marble colors of the basic protective case. Photo: SwitchEasy
If you’re happy with the basic white charging case that came with your earbuds, that’s great. But those cases can get scratched, so they’re worth protecting. And that’s not the only reason you might consider a case for your AirPods 3 case. You can also add both style and a higher degree of protection.
The SwitchEasy Flash Sale — you can get 20% off fun and rugged cases for AirPods 3 — ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on March 13.
The bass player running this rig said the mount's gas arm is a little over-eager. Photo: [email protected]
We recently talked about what a boon to computer setups stands and mounts usually are — but not when they cause problems. Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup is an interesting example. The bass player who runs it said the gas-powered arm of the mount where the laptop sits is so hair-trigger it can “randomly launch it into the air.”
That’s not ideal when you have $2,000 laptop not designed for flight. The user also has a PC laptop for work, a massive 4K display and a compact mechanical keyboard and badass speakers we haven’t seen elsewhere.
The Onvis CT3 contact sensor works exclusively with HomeKit, Siri and the Home app. Photo: Onvis
Onvis updated its formerly Bluetooth-only CT3 contact sensor with the Thread wireless protocol. That means it should work smoothly with HomeKit and Siri. It won’t just let you know when doors or windows open or close, it will launch related automations.
This is especially good news if you want to jack up home security by automatically tripping alarms or turning on lights when a door or window opens.
Jennifer Garner stars in The Last Thing He Told Me and also serves as an executive producer, along with Reese Witherspoon. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ dropped the trailer (below) for the new limited drama series The Last Thing He Told Me Thursday, and it looks like a gripping thriller with a loaded cast.
Based on a bestselling novel and starring Jennifer Garner along with other familiar faces, the show premieres April 14.
Do you dream of ditching your mouse? Maybe you have the wrong one. Or maybe you’re onto something, like the software developer who works sans rodent with today’s featured M2 MacBook Pro setup featuring dual external displays in different orientations.
Instead of a mouse for input, she relies on a radically split keyboard with a trackball, plus a macropad. See those and all of the other gear in the cool setup below.
Not many Brits watch "Ted Lasso," but it's not necessarily for reasons of taste. Photo: Apple TV+
The smash-hit Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso is set in greater London. It’s about the unlikely coach of a fictional team in England’s (and the world’s) top soccer league, which is England’s (and the world’s) favorite sport. So why don’t Brits actually watch the show?
No, it’s not some disconnect between American and British humor. The real reason has more to do with adoption of the streaming service itself. And some people blame Apple TV+ for that.
The FiiO R7 is designed to be the centerpiece of your desktop audio from all sources. Photo: FiiO
If you want to get the most out of your desktop audio — the sound you get from your computer, other devices, speakers, headphones, wireless earbuds and more — an interesting new jack-of-all-trades tool arrived on the last day of February.
That’s when FiiO quietly launched its R7 high-resolution audio player, streamer and headphone amplifier. It packs a lot of functionality into a small package you might expect to cost more than it does.
Kensington's new Privacy Screens protect your screen privacy, your screen itself and even your health. Photo: Kensington
Kensington introduced three new privacy screens for Mac Tuesday. They’re designed for easy on-and-off, helping to protect the 2022 MacBook Air, 24-inch iMac and Studio Display from “visual hacking.” That’s when nearby computer screens or cameras pick up what’s on your screen.
A tiny charger that can push 20W+ to two devices is pretty potent. Photo: Anker
Anker introduced a new potent-but-weenie little GaN charger to it lineup Wednesday, the Anker 47W Nano 3. It packs more power than the company’s 30W Nano chargers, adds a most-welcome second USB-C port and comes in three colors.
And it also comes with a 15% off launch discount — $34 instead of the regular $40, a savings of $6.
Three different elevations help you type with or without an external keyboard. Photo: Function 101
If you have a compact, portable stand, you can turn your MacBook or iPad into a proper workstation almost anywhere. Function101 offers the Elevate stand, now on sale in the Cult of Mac Store.
It folds flat to store or carry and folds out to four positions more maximum typing comfort, with or without an external keyboard.