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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
The sometimes-overlooked heroes of computer setups are stands and mounts. They make a big difference. They free-up space on the desk. They bring screens to eye level for better ergonomics. And they can even help turn a one-display setup into a three-display workstation, as they do in today’s featured MacBook Pro and iPad mini rig.
The user relies on one main external monitor — a Studio Display — but raising the MacBook and the iPad up to eye level and using Universal Control gives him three prominent screens. And that’s without having to buy and make room for multiple external monitors.
Who doesn’t love a quaint pub, especially if it’s the 100% real one in greater London where many scenes from the hit Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso are shot?
Believe it or not, if you’re quick about it and quite lucky indeed, you can actually sleep in Richmond’s Crown & Anchor (known as The Prince’s Head in real life) for just $13 per night, thanks to Airbnb — and we don’t mean nodding off in a pool of Guinness.
Alongside the release of its new Era 300 and Era 100 speakers, Sonos said Tuesday it will “add support for spatial audio on Apple Music in what will be a significant expansion of its next-gen sound experience offerings.”
The company said customers can access spatial audio on Apple Music via the Era 300 and two older Sonos speaker systems starting in three weeks — Tuesday, March 28 (the new speakers’ shipping date).
Apple’s AirPods Max are premium wireless noise-cancelling headphones, and they don’t come cheap ($549). So shouldn’t you protect those top-shelf cans like you protect your other Apple gear?
Fortunately, Elago makes a clear case that’ll keep your headphones looking new. And unlike other cases, you can keep them on the headphones all the time, even when you’re wearing them. And they’re inexpensive, too.
Apple introduced a veritable rainbow of new hues for Apple Watch bands Tuesday — including the new Hermès Casaque multicolor bands inspired by “bold jerseys worn by horse jockeys,” Apple said.
The top Casaque band, a double-strapped leather number with four colors in it, costs $599. And that’s with no watch included. But at least you get a borderline-hideous Apple Watch band.
Fortunately, new spring colors are also available for several styles of reasonably priced bands like the Solo Loop and Sport Band.
Apple rolled out yellow versions of its iPhone 14 and 14 Plus handsets Tuesday as part of a typical midcycle refresh. The new color joins midnight, starlight, Product(Red), blue and purple in the lineup. Apple made four new silicone case colors available, too.
You can preorder the new yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus as of Friday. The new phones arrive in stores on March 14, Apple said. The cases are available now.