Apple news, analysis and opinion, plus general tech news | Cult of Mac

Gorgeous, all-wood mechanical keyboard costs more than a Mac mini

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Talk about a luxurious keyboard (with a price to match).
Talk about a luxurious keyboard (with a price to match).
Photo: Hacoa

People go nuts for solid wood on everything from guitars to flooring. But how about an all-solid-wood mechanical keyboard?

Japanese outfit Hacoa has one decked out in wood from the keycaps down through the housing, in either walnut or cherry. It’s called the Hacoa Full Ki-Board Wireless.

And it can be yours for the stout price of 99,000Yen ($745) plus shipping costs. That’s more than a base Mac mini.

Siri can command this robot to clear the air

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The little bot will tell you how clean the air in your space is, and clean it for you.
The little bot will tell you how clean the air in your space is, and clean it for you.
Photo: nara Pro

When you start to worry the air in your home could make you sick, an air purifier can help. And they’re getting smarter (but hopefully not “rise of the machines” smart a la Terminator).

The nara Pro, which the company bills as “the versatile air purifier robot,” runs a two-stage system via artificial intelligence that works with Siri and HomeKit, as well as other smart-home systems.

And you can get a good deal on it on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform.

Today in Apple history: PowerCD paves the way toward a lucrative future

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The PowerCD Apple CD player offered a glimpse of the company's post-desktop game plan.
This CD player offered a glimpse of Apple's post-desktop game plan.
Photo: Jonathan Zufi

March 22: Today in Apple history: PowerCD launch March 22, 1993: Apple launches the PowerCD, the first device from the company that doesn’t require a computer to work.

A portable CD player that also works as an external CD drive for Macs, it offers a glimpse of the extremely lucrative path Apple will follow a decade later. However, the PowerCD itself will ultimately fail in the marketplace.

Apple’s Pro Display XDR with nano-texture glass gets a whopping $500 discount

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A table of desktop Macs. Going clockwise around the table, starting at the front: the Mac Studio with Studio Display (height-adjustable stand and nano texture glass), the iMac, Mac Pro with Pro Display XDR (with Pro Stand) and Mac mini with Studio Display (tilt stand).
The stunningly beautiful and expensive Pro Display XDR gets a big discount.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple’s 32-inch Pro Display XDR with nano-texture glass is down to its lowest price on Amazon. While the monitor retails for a whopping $5,999, you can get it for $5,499 on Amazon right now.

This is a massive $500 discount off its retail price. Like with all other Amazon deals, the one too is unlikely to last long.

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Opening day for Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+ is April 7

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Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+
"Friday Night Baseball" returns for a second season in early March.
Photo: Apple TV+

Friday Night Baseball heads back to the Apple TV+ ballpark on April 7. This is the second season for the series that features weekly doubleheaders of marquee MLB games.

When the sports show launched in 2022, it was free. But that was last year — the 2023 season is only for subscribers to Apple’s streaming service.

Mac Studio stacked on Mac mini looks like a Pixar robot [Setups]

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One commenter thought the Mac Studio stacked on the old Mac mini looked like a Pixar robot character.
One commenter thought the Mac Studio stacked on the old Mac mini looked like a Pixar robot character.
Photo: Stefansangreal@Reddit.com

This just in from the Things That Look Like Other Things Department: a Mac Studio desktop computer sitting on top of a Mac mini “looks like a small robot from Wall-E or one of the [other] Pixar films.”

Today’s featured setup sports the unintentional character in the form of an old Mac mini acting as a server and a stand for the much-newer Mac Studio. It’s pretty cute. You can imagine it rolling around, beeping and maybe firing off a laser blast.

New 16-in-1 dock lets M1 and M2 Macs drive trio of 4K displays

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Go ahead and hook up three 4K external displays to your M1 or M2 Mac with this new dock.
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.

Voice Isolation for phone calls finally coming to iPhone

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Voice Isolation for phone calls finally coming to iPhone
Voice Isolation isn't just for FaceTime anymore.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Voice Isolation feature iPhone users have become accustomed to in video chats will soon expand to regular phone calls. It will make participants in these voice calls easier to understand.

This will be one of the major new features in iOS 16.4, which is expected in late March.

iOS 16.4 RC references unreleased AirPods, Beats Studio Buds+

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AirPods 3 with Funko
Is Apple silently working on an AirPods refresh?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple’s RC build of iOS 16.4 references an unreleased AirPods with the model number A3048. There’s also mention of a new AirPods charging case carrying the model number A2968.

In addition, Apple seems to be working on a new pair of Beats Studio Buds, dubbed the Buds+.

iPhone 14 Plus is more successful than iPhone 13 mini was

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iPhone 14 Plus review: Go big or go home
iPhone 14 Plus is selling better than many had previously thought.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s experiment with the iPhone 14 Plus is paying off… somewhat. The first 6.7-inch non-Pro model is selling much better than the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini it replaced, according to a market analysis firm.

That said, the Plus reportedly has the weakest demand of any of the handsets Apple released in fall 2022.