Ed Hardy - page 40

Opal Tadpole acts as a replacement for the webcam in your laptop or tablet. Clip the well-built gadget to an older MacBook and you’ll look better on video calls.

I tested one with multiple computers to see how Tadpole stands up in real world use — and whether it might make a good gift this holiday season.

Apple Pencil Pro boasts just about every feature an iPad user could want, and during Amazon Prime Day that includes a more affordable price. A discount knocks 25% off the cost, bringing it below $100 for the first time.

Alternatively, you can get a 15% off deal on the Apple Pencil (USB-C), or save 30% on the older Apple Pencil 2.

UPDATE: While Prime Day is over, these deals are not. Amazon actually improved them so these styli cost even less. Read on for the latest prices.

The iPod music player, a product that was once the definition of tech coolness, rode off into the sunset on Tuesday. The last iPod nano and iPod shuffle models went on Apple’s list of obsolete products, which means the classic iPod lineup officially obsolete.

The music player that transformed Apple and the worldwide music culture will no longer be supported or serviced by Apple. It’s the end of an era.

The same is true for iPhone 6.

A U.S. federal judge ordered sweeping changes to Google Play, the default source for Android applications. Rival Android software marketplaces will get a big boost as a result.

While the iPhone App Store is similar, Apple’s and Google’s situations are different enough that iPhone users shouldn’t expect similar changes anytime soon. Long term? That’s a different story.

The Samsung T9 SSD is quick and it’s very portable. Plus, for a short time, it’s up to 45% off.  Opt for 1TB, 2TB or even 4TB of additional storage for your Mac or iPad.

For an even more affordable option, the older Samsung T7 series is available for as much as 44% off.

Apple’s big step into artificial intelligence is scheduled for this month, and a prediction from a generally reliable source may have just named the release date: October 28. This will reportedly be when new iOS, macOS and iPadOS versions usher in Apple Intelligence.

These AI capabilities were unveiled in June at the company’s developers conference and have been in public beta testing for weeks, so it’s now a waiting game for the full launch.

The Apple TV+ team-up between George Clooney and Brad Pitt hit number one on a ratings company’s popularity chart the first week the film is available to stream.

It’s not surprising: the two superstars could probably take the leads in Uncle Wiggly and the Runaway Cheese and it would be a hit.

Apple released iOS 18.0.1 on Thursday to fix an annoying bug that made the touchscreen unresponsive on iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. The new iPadOS 18.0.1 corrects several problems, too, including one that bricked some M4 iPad Pro units when installing the original iPadOS 18 version.

In addition, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1 and visionOS 2.0.1 also arrived Thursday with minor bug fixes.

Twelve South PlugBug is the first power supply to support Apple’s Find My technology. That means the USB-C wall charger can be located with an iPhone app, and it warns its owner if it’s being left behind in a coffee shop or hotel room.

One version includes a pair of ports and puts out 50W. A second has four USB-C ports and 120W.

I put PlugBug through real-world testing, and came out loving it.

NBA preseason games start this weekend. If you didn’t make the draft this year, you can still get in on the basketball action with NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition, which launched Thursday. This is the definitive basketball game for Apple devices, and each new annual upgrade adds even more features.

The feature-packed offering is now on Apple Arcade for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

The mystery that unfolded in the Apple TV+ series Sugar will continue with season two. The streaming service approved more episodes of the dark, gritty tale Wednesday. Highlights of the first season include a brilliant performance by Colin Farrell, as well as what was called “one of the greatest plot twists in recent TV history.”

“It has been incredibly exciting to see audiences around the world embrace Sugar, and we are thrilled to return for a second season,” said executive producers Audrey Chon and Simon Kinberg in a press release.

The revamped iPad Air debuted in May, but there’s already word that a replacement is on Apple’s drawing board for early next year.

Apple will apparently improve the performance of the Air, which will make deciding between it and the iPad Pro more challenging for tablet shoppers.

iPhone SE 4 will debut early next year, according to a reliable source, and supposedly will support Apple Intelligence, the AI-powered features coming soon to iOS, macOS, and iPadOS. The previous iPhone SE 2022 model didn’t perform as well as expected, which may have led Apple to rethink its strategy. Learn more about why Apple created the iPhone 16E in response to the SE’s shortcomings here.

Apple’s 2025 budget handset reportedly will receive a significant redesign. And previous rumors suggest the handset will come with an upgraded display, too.

Attach the Pebblebee Clip to your keys, backpack or purse and you won’t need to worry about misplacing your item or leaving it behind. You can locate the missing item with your iPhone (or Android), or have the tracker tag play an audible alarm.

The item tracker is a rival to Apple’s AirTag, and both use Apple’s Find My network so they can be located almost anywhere on Earth. But Pebblebee has a new advantage: it just launched a Universal version that supports either Apple’s or Google’s similar tracking service.

I tested the new version of Pebblebee’s tracker tag and found a lot to like. It even improves on Apple’s offering, but not in every way.

Most of us store thousands of pictures and videos on our iPhones. If you want to create a bulletproof backup, you need to know how to transfer photos from iPhone to an external hard drive, SSD or flash drive. It’s easy, assuming you have the right software and (and possibly an adapter). 

Mac and iPad users have a lot to look forward to in October: rumors say an Apple event should bring new MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with the M4 chip, with a new iPad mini and budget iPad also on the agenda. To know more about what’s coming, check out the latest insights on Apple’s Mac Studio and Mac Pro updates.

Here’s what to look forward to at an October Apple event, plus the products that’ll likely come even later.

Wifi Porter takes the hassle out of letting friends or guests access your wireless network. Just tap this accessory from Ten One Design with your iPhone or Android device and the login details will be transferred. 

The hardware is attractive, and it’s certainly a unique idea. We went hands on to see how it works in real life.

A Tata Electronics plant in Chennai, India, that makes components for iPhones reportedly caught fire on Saturday, halting production.

It’s not clear yet how this will affect iPhone assembly in the country. It’s certainly not good news for Apple’s efforts to become less dependent on China.

Season 4 of Slow Horses stayed at the top of a rating’s company’s popularity chart for the second week. This darkly funny espionage drama starring Gary Oldman follows a team of British intelligence agents who’ve all made career-ending mistakes yet are somehow always in the center of the action. New episodes stream each Wednesday on Apple TV+.

Plus, Apple’s crime comedy Bad Monkey starring Vince Vaughn held onto popularity, too.

Apple’s newest MagSafe Charger offers faster wireless charging than its predecessor when used with an iPhone 16. However, it does not live up to Apple’s claim of powering up the newest iOS handsets as quickly as a USB-C cable.

I tested the new power puck with an iPhone 16 to see how fast it can charge, and how warm it makes the handset. Here’s what I found out.

AirPods 4 bring professional-grade features to Apple’s non-Pro earbuds. Fairly good active noise cancellation sits at the top of the list of additions, which is a surprise because the earbuds lack foam ear tips.

Apple did tweak the design to make them more comfortable and secure. And the company improved the audio quality, too. Especially the bass. How does all this play out in real-world testing? Read our hands-on AirPods 4 review to find out.

The iPhone 16 series only reached customers a few days ago and you can already pick up an official Apple clear or silicone case at well below the usual cost. Woot offers the cases in a variety of colors at 29% off — with an additional $5 discount when you enter a coupon code — while Amazon offers the cases at a 14% discount.

Apple’s own iPhone 16 cases stand out from the pack thanks to the sapphire crystal overlay on the Camera Control. Most rivals went with a simple cutout instead since they didn’t know exactly how the rumored feature would work. (Read Cult of Mac’s recent post on how third-party cases with cutouts work with the Camera Control.)

A request by former President Donald Trump that Apple help law enforcement access the contents of iPhones owned by men who tried to assassinate him is apparently based on a mistaken idea about how encryption works.

If the contents of the devices are secured by encryption, there’s nothing Apple can do to access them. That’s the very nature of encryption.

Disney has a simple message to those sharing a password to its streaming service with friends: Pay up. The password-sharing crackdown the House of Mouse has been threatening officially began Wednesday in the United States, Canada, Europe and elsewhere.

If you watch Disney+ on your iPad, Mac or Apple TV using someone else’s password, the company plans to find you and make you stop.

The Apple Music Classical streaming service now includes over 50,000 album booklets featuring in-depth liner notes, translations and more.

These provide music aficionados with the in-depth information they want.