★★★★☆
The SwitchEasy MagPower 4-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand can wirelessly power up a MagSafe iPhone while also juicing up an Apple Watch, AirPods and more. And it even has a nightlight as a bonus.
I’ve had the stand either on my desk or beside my bed for a couple weeks now. Here’s what it’s like in real-world use.
Note: This stand is currently on sale in the Cult of Mac Store’s SwitchEasy flash sale.
La Maison is a one-hour drama set within a contemporary French fashion house. It focuses on the lives of powerful families involved in the world of fashion, aspirational French elegance and luxury.
The upcoming Apple TV+ series stars a who’s who of French actors, including Lambert Wilson and Amira Casar.
TSMC reportedly can’t get enough skilled workers to build its processor factory in Arizona. The company’s CEO warns that this means the start of chip manufacture in the United States won’t begin as soon as had been earlier projected.
That’s not good news for Apple, which has committed to sourcing processors from the plant.
Popular farming simulator Stardew Valley+ is now playable via Apple Arcade. The game promises many hours of entertainment, with farming, ranching, fighting monsters and even getting married.
It’s one of a number of classic titles to hit Apple’s gaming subscription service in recent weeks.
The Vaonis Hestia gives users a closer look at the moon, sun and stars, but it’s far from a traditional telescope. It’s designed to let beginners use their iPhone to view the heavens, easily find the celestial objects they want to see, and then photograph them.
It’s also quite portable. It’s ready to go with you to escape light pollution.
Zagg just launched a line of Bluetooth desktop keyboards that range in size from 12 inches all the way up to 17 inches, with larger models adding a numberpad and function keys. And they really don’t need wires, as they also charge wirelessly
In addition, the new keyboard lineup includes one designed specifically to plug into the Lightning port of an iPad. And there’s a USB-C variant, too.
A standout feature of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max is reportedly causing assembly problems. The high-end models Apple will launch in autumn 2023 are expected to have the thinnest screen bezels of any handset, but that’s apparently making the panels harder than usual to produce.
If true, this could lower the supply of the iOS devices when they launch.
The on again/off again iPhone SE 4 is reportedly off again. For at least a couple of years, anyway. Apple reportedly no longer intends to make a new budget iOS handset in 2024.
That’s probably not surprising considering the popularity of the company’s more expensive models.
The U.K. government has proposed an update to the Investigatory Powers Act that Apple and other tech companies strongly oppose because it they argue it would substantially weaken the security of their messaging applications.
The updated act would allow the government to require security features in the apps be disabled immediately and without informing users.
Apple reportedly warned that it’ll disable iMessage and FaceTime in the UK before it’ll comply with the law.
Netflix just killed its Basic plan, forcing people to pay more for an ad-free experience. And the cost of all Peacock plans went up, with or without commercials.
Apple TV+, with no ads at all, looks like a better deal than ever.
Apple reportedly developed its own generative AI chatbot that’s very similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. While this might never be released, the underlying tech is already going into the company’s applications and services.
If true, the chatbot’s technology could be a significant upgrade to the Siri digital assistant that’s built into so many Apple products — and that currently draws so much criticism.
Rather than a dull, dry recitation of the antitheft features built into MacBooks, Apple created a video featuring another madcap adventure from the Underdogs.
The video is fun an and exciting, but is also a demonstration of the multiple ways Macs prevent criminals from profiting from stolen Macs.
The SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD cost a jaw-dropping $699 when it launched. You can now pick it up for a third of that original cost: $229. Amazon also offers similar deals on smaller-capacity versions for a limited time.
These external drives promise data-transfer speeds up to 1,050 MBps over a USB-C connection, and work with Mac and iPad.
UPDATE: Published reports indicate this SSD has a high failure rate, which might explain why it’s on sale. Buyer beware.
The release candidates for iOS 16.6 and macOS Ventura 13.5 were seeded to developers on Tuesday. These are the final betas of minor bug updates without significant new features, but nevertheless they will be worth installing when the final versions are released, almost certainly within a week.
The same is true for iPadOS 16.6 RC, watchOS 9.6 RC and tvOS 16.6 RC.
iPhone pulled in its highest-ever Q2 share of the global smartphone market, according to an analysis firm. Apple’s total shipments were down, just not down as much as shipments of Androids from rival handset-makers.
The good news for Apple is that consumers around the world are more interested in premium smartphones than ever before.
Apple will put batteries that could last up to 10% longer in the upcoming iPhone 15 series, according to an unconfirmed report. These will be stacked batteries rather than wound ones.
iOS handsets already offer lengthy times between recharges, but surely no one will complain about extending that.
Apple is hoping to take its lawsuit with Epic Games all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and on Monday received permission to hold off on making a significant change to the App Store ordered by lower courts until there’s a final decision by the high court.
This means the Mac-maker won’t have to change its App Store policy that prevents developers from sending customers to their websites to pay for apps or services… yet.
There’s no better day to check into the state of emoji than World Emoji Day, celebrated every year on July 17. There’s a new most popular one this year, though the top five stayed consistent. And the top 20 also boasts a new entry you should be aware of.
It’s wise to know the meaning of the most popular so you’re not confused when someone sends you a 🗿. At the same time, it’s interesting to explore what’s the least used emoji and why certain emojis never seem to gain traction in digital conversations.
An original iPhone from 2007 just sold for what’s apparently a record-breaking amount. At over $190,000, it’s more than 3X the previous top price, actually. But the latest device to sell at auction has a quirk that made it even rarer than usual.
The eye-opening price shows the market for factory-sealed 2007 iPhone units is hot.
The next generation of Apple silicon is right around the corner, and the upcoming M3 processor is supposedly going into multiple new Macs before the end of 2023.
Here is what we know about the iMac and the two MacBooks we have to look forward to this autumn.
When you want to work or watch a movie without distractions, turn on Do Not Disturb on your iPhone. A new Apple video shows how to activate this mode. To learn more, visit this detailed guide.
The activation process is simple enough that this Apple Support video mostly serves as a reminder that Do Not Disturb is available.
Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard will be best thing to happen to Mac gaming in decades. The selection of titles available for Mac (and iPad) will shoot up dramatically because Microsoft has committed to allowing its popular games available on rival cloud gaming services.
Mac gaming has limped along since the 1990s. This deal will be a huge turnaround — if it makes it over all the regulatory hurdles.
Apple will reportedly use a cutting-edge production method to make some of the components for the 2023 Apple Watch Ultra: 3D printing.
And if the experiment goes well, the tech could be used in other Apple devices.
Fishing is a sport that requires patience. Ridiculous Fishing EX is a game that requires guns, chainsaws and toasters. Players go on a heroic quest for gills and glory in this action title.
The newly revamped game exploded onto Apple Arcade on Friday.
The list of new emoji up for approval includes a phoenix, a breaking chain, a lime, a person nodding or shaking their head, plus a handful more.
These are being proposed to the Unicode Consortium in September, but are very unlikely to appear on iPhone and other computers before 2024.