Lewis Wallace - page 15

There are a lot of things to love about Apple’s new AirPods Max headphones, but the Smart Case isn’t one of them. Roundly panned after the high-end cans’ release, it’s just plain weird-looking. Plus, it’s not that protective or functional.

Luckily, WaterField Designs delivered what Apple didn’t. The San Francisco-based maker of luxury bags for all your tech gear just unveiled its Apple AirPods Max Shield Case — and it’s designed with input from Apple fans to make it actually, you know, smart (not to mention attractive).

So far, 2020 has been a total Grinch. Find a little fun with these new and recently updated apps, which will guide you to Christmas light shows, plunge you into Marvel superhero brawls and even boost your darts game.

Plus, Canadian CBD connoisseurs can gain access to all the latest info on what’s available and where. And iPhone 12 Pro/Max owners can see in the dark.

Between AirPods Max and Apple Fitness+, this was one big week for Apple. The company continues to expand its sprawling, intertwined empire of hardware, software and services — and these new entries look like winners.

Read our dueling reviews for insight into how the high-end headphones and the subscription fitness service compare to rivals. You’ll find them, along with a load of helpful Apple how-tos and the week’s top news stories, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now for your iOS device. Or use the links below to get to the stories on the web.

With a sleek design and some sweet Apple magic, AirPods Pro Max headphones look great, sound exciting and reward those in the Apple ecosystem.

However, the hefty $549 price tag, some quirky design decisions and some very real limitations mean they’re not right for absolutely everyone.

Apple’s new over-the-ear headphones are kind of over the top. From the high-end design to the sky-high price tag, AirPods Max certainly made quite a splash this week.

They sold out almost immediately after Tuesday’s unveiling. And that weird AirPods Max case got mercilessly mocked online, as people compared it to a bra and a sleep mask, among other things.

It’s not all AirPods Max this week, though: Apple TV+ started streaming Wolfwalkers, which our reviewer called the “best animated film of the year.” Plus, Apple’s mysterious self-driving car project raced back into the rumor fast lane.

Read up in this week’s free edition of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now for your iOS device. Or use the links below to get to the stories on the web.

Logitech unveiled the Circle View Doorbell on Tuesday, calling it “the first wired video doorbell developed exclusively for Apple HomeKit.”

The $199.99 accessory features Face Recognition and Logitech TrueView video, and works with most wired doorbell systems, Logitech said.

If you wanted AirPods Max in blue, pink or green, it looks like you’ll be waiting till well into 2021. Order one of the three hottest colors of the pricey new over-the-ear headphones now, and they won’t be delivered for 12 to 14 weeks, according to Apple’s online store.

Those shipping times slipped quickly after Apple launched the high-end headphones via press release early Tuesday morning. By late morning West Coast time, space gray AirPods Max delivery times had slipped as well — to December 31. Only the silver option still showed as being available for delivery prior to Christmas.

Act fast, and you can get them between December 15 and 17. But adding custom engraving pushes the delivery date to December 29 for that model. (Update 2: By midafternoon West Coast time on Tuesday, even the silver AirPods Max delivery window had slipped to December 31 – January 8.)

California will launch a COVID-19 exposure-notification system Thursday that uses smartphones to track interactions with infected people.

The state “has partnered with Google and Apple to launch a #COVID19 exposure notification app, CA Notify,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday on Twitter. “Starting Thursday, you can opt in to get push notifications on your phone if you have been exposed to COVID-19.”

You can make like an intergalactic outlaw or keep in touch like a pro with two of the new apps and updates featured in the week’s roundup. And the other two featured apps show off the growing versatility of macOS Big Sur and CarPlay, two Apple platforms that deserve a little extra love.

Get the scoop in this week’s edition of Awesome Apps of the Week.

It’s December, so it’s time to brace yourself for the annual onslaught of “best of” recommendations. Cupertino came out of the gate early this week, crowning its favorite 15 apps and games of the year.

Separately, the company also highlighted the biggest hits on Apple Music, diced in a variety of ways, as well as the best podcasts, books and audiobooks of 2020. And, like last year, Apple Music users can check out their own personal hit lists. Take a look at your Replay 2020 playlist for insight into what you streamed with abandon during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Get the lowdown in this week’s free edition of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s loaded with the week’s top Apple news, plus plenty of how-tos for iPhone, HomePod and Mac users.

We’ve also got reviews of three new Apple TV+ shows this week: astonishing nature docuseries Earth at Night in Color, uplifting kids show Stillwater and Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special.

Just how good is that new MacBook Air? Leander Kahney, our tab-hoarding editor in chief, calls it an “instant classic.” Read his full MacBook Air review to get some interesting insights into the incredible performance of this M1-powered laptop.

However, buyer beware: If you’re considering snapping up one of these new Macs with Apple Silicon inside, there are several things that could be deal-breakers, depending on your own particular needs. Be sure to check out our quick checklist of “6 reasons an M1 Mac might not be right for you.”

Read all that and more in this week’s free edition of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now for a slick reading experience on your iOS device.

Also: Don’t miss out on the great deals in the Cult of Mac Store’s biggest-ever event. Our massive Black Friday sale runs all weekend long.

With so much new Apple hardware arriving on doorsteps around the world, it’s like Christmas in November. That makes it a target-rich environment for reviews.

In this week’s free edition of Cult of Mac Magazine, we showcase a shootout between the year’s two most intriguing iPhones. It’s the iPhone 12 Pro Max versus the iPhone 12 mini in dueling reviews. And then there’s the HomePod mini …

Our fearless leader Leander Kahney went nuts reviewing everything he could get his hands on this week. Grab the free mag to read on your iPad or iPhone. Or view the stories at the links below.

P.S. Like podcasts? We discussed all three of these devices, and the amazing new M1-powered Macs, on this week’s episode of The CultCast. It’s now available as a video, too.

What a week for the Mac!

We got our first look at Apple’s mind-blowing new M1 processor, which powers a trio of new machines: MacBook Air, Mac mini and MacBook Pro. It was a risky move switching Macs off Intel chips, but by the look of the first benchmarks, Apple pulled it off.

It looks like Apple finally fixed the problems that stopped some Mac owners from updating to macOS Big Sur on launch day.

The message from Cupertino seems to be: If at first you didn’t succeed, try, try again.

The first HomePod mini reviews almost universally praise the tiny smart speaker for outstanding audio quality. A wave of superlatives like “impressively powerful,” and even “startling” make HomePod mini sound like a total champ.

Across the board, the reviewers say Apple’s new $99 smart speaker offers stiff competition to other devices in that price range. And beyond audio, they deliver surprisingly positive assessments of the HomePod mini’s design and features. Even Siri earns accolades!

After a bit of a slow start, Apple TV+ has built up a great library of original content. The streaming service just keeps piling on the new shows — and some of them are undeniably great.

You can read our roundup of the best Apple TV+ shows to binge in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s free to download, and it’s fun to read on your iPad or iPhone.

Watching any of the shows on our list would be a great way a celebrate the first birthday of Apple TV+. So turn off the election news and stream something exciting this weekend. And brace yourself for next Tuesday’s big Apple event. It should be a doozy.

Apple news

Apple how-tos

Product reviews

If you’re still on the fence about whether to buy an iPhone 12 mini, here’s one reason you might want to avoid it. Apple’s smallest 2020 iPhone charges more slowly than other models in the lineup when you use the new MagSafe charger.

Like many other Americans, I face a momentous decision this week. A choice between two polar opposites, each with hard-core backers who say you’re stone-cold crazy if you don’t go with their pick.

I’m talking about, of course, one of the most pressing decisions of 2020: iPhone 12 mini or iPhone 12 Pro Max. They’re the most exciting iPhones in this year’s lineup, for very different reasons.

Apple’s new Intercom feature for HomePod (and HomePod mini) sounds really interesting and useful. Depending on what Apple gear you own, and what software versions you’re running, you might be able to give it a spin right now.

Our lead story this week will show you how to get Intercom set up (and why you’ll want to). But there’s also plenty of Apple news, rumors and recommendations. Highlights include our iPhone 12 review and a wrap from this week’s surprising financial update: 7 nuggets of truth from Apple’s latest earnings call.

It’s all in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now to read on your iOS device, or get the headlines below in your browser.

Apparently there was something to all those complaints about active noise cancellation in AirPods Pro. Apple just launched a program to replace defective AirPods Pro earbuds that have audio problems, including sucky ANC.

Logitech just unleashed a new entry-level wireless trackball that feels good, looks fine and works wonderfully. The new Ergo M575 adds some features previously found only in its high-end MX Ergo trackball, including one that port-deprived MacBook owners will appreciate.

Plus, at $49.99 list, it won’t break the bank. If you’re interested in trying a trackball, for whatever reason, this is a smart choice.

Rumors are swirling that Apple TV+ might scoop up No Time to Die, the James Bond film currently languishing in box office limbo. The movie — the 25th 007 flick, and the last to star Daniel Craig as the British spy — has seen its release date slip repeatedly as many cinemas remain closed due to COVID-19.

Now, MGM Studios reportedly might pull the trigger on a streaming debut rather than waiting out the pandemic. If Apple TV+ added No Time to Die to its growing library, it would be the streaming service’s biggest coup yet.

As Apple faces increasing scrutiny from governments around the world, the company should take a lesson from Google. We think Apple really needs to implement its own “don’t be evil” policy — and stick with it.

Also, with the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro arriving this week alongside iPad Air 4 it’s time to take a look at reviewers’ first impressions. (It’s also a good time to revisit best practices for setting up and optimizing a new iPhone).

Read it all — along with reviews of new Apple TV+ movies On the Rocks and Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Download it now to read on your iOS device.

Apple released iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1 Tuesday, bringing bug fixes and a handful of other improvements to iPhones and iPads.

Support for 10-bit HDR video playback and editing seems like the main new feature. But the updates supposedly fix plenty of little problems that might be annoying people who updated to iOS 14. If your Home screen widgets, folders and icons don’t look quite right, you should probably grab iOS 14.1.

A new feature in the Launch Center Pro app makes iOS Home screen customization easier than ever.