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Save 30% on sweet Elago accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch through Cyber Monday

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Save on Elago's new Apple Pencil cover
Get the new Apple Pencil cover for just $10.49.
Photo: Elago

Elago’s awesome accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods are now available at 30% off through the Cult of Mac Store. All you need to do is add Elago products to your cart and 30% discount will automatically be added.

You can save on brilliant retro charging stands inspired by iconic devices like the original Macintosh and Game Boy, Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, AirPods bumpers, and lots more. There’s also 30% off Elago’s new Apple Pencil cover.

This discount ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Monday, November 27 (Cyber Monday), so enjoy it while you can.

Today in Apple history: Newton spins off as its own company

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The Newton MessagePad 2000 brought many upgrades to Apple's doomed PDA line.
Things were looking up for the Newton MessagePad. Until they weren't.
Photo: iFixit

May 22: Today in Apple history: Apple spins off Newton Inc. May 22, 1997: Apple spins off its Newton division. The new company’s first job? Selling the MessagePad 2000 PDA.

Newton Inc. also has a mandate to develop new technologies and market existing ones. “We have a solid business plan and a strong management team in place to optimize the value of Newton technology for corporate users and take Newton technology into a new era,” says Sandy Benett, former vice president of Apple’s Newton Systems Group and chief operating officer of the new venture.

Instead, it turns out to be the beginning of the end for the ahead-of-its-time Apple PDA.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs trashes Flash in devastatingly blunt open letter

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Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs trashes Adobe Flash in an open letter titled
Steve Jobs really didn't care for Flash.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
April 29: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs pens letter to Flash

April 29, 2010: Steve Jobs pens “Thoughts on Flash,” an open letter to explain why, basically, Adobe Flash kind of sucks. The letter marks the beginning of the end for the once-omnipresent plugin that powered multimedia in internet browsers for years.

Following the devastatingly blunt broadside, Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen hits back at Apple, arguing against Jobs’ complaints. But the Apple CEO has clearly made up his mind: iOS devices will never support Flash. The writing is on the wall.

How to control what your iPhone backs up to iCloud

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icloud backup
Keep things safe with iCloud backup.
Photo: Gabriel Wasylko/Unsplash

It’s World Backup Day, a good opportunity to take a close look at the backups your iPhone makes to iCloud. Are you running out of iCloud storage space? Living with a slow internet connection? Worried about privacy? In any of these cases, you might want to exclude some apps from your iCloud backups. Doing so will save iCloud storage space and conserve bandwidth.

The good news is that it’s easy to exclude pretty much anything you like from your iCloud backups in iOS. Here’s how.

How to set up your new Mac like a pro

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Set Up Your New Mac: Moving to a new Mac is fast — we’ll get your Mac on track in no time.
Let's get that nice new Mac set up, shall we?
Image: Apple

It’s a great season to buy a Mac. Every Mac for sale today is a great buy … almost. If you’re one of the lucky people to get one this year, you’ll want to rip open that box, tear off that plastic and get to the good stuff.

If this is your first Mac with Apple’s powerful new chips inside, you’re in for a real treat. It’s pretty easy to set up whether you have an old Mac to transfer data from or you’re starting from scratch. There are a few choices to make along the way, though, and some essential tricks and apps you’ll want to consider, so we’re here to take you through the process.

Here is Cult of Mac’s guide to setting up your new Mac the right way.

Diagnose your charging woes with Plugable’s tiny power meter [Review]

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Plugable USBC-VAmeter3 review
The Plugable USBC-VAmeter3 tests the quality of the connections between your computers and chargers and other peripherals.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Your MacBook isn’t charging right and you can’t figure it where the problem is? Plugable’s USBC-VAmeter3 can help. Connect it to the power cable running to your Mac, iPad or iPhone to see the voltage, wattage and amperage.

I’m no electrical engineer, but I tested this miniature power meter. I found it both useful and kind of fun.

Siri Remote case holds an AirTag so you can’t lose your clicker

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Pair your Siri Remote with an AirTag
Before your Siri Remote goes missing, make sure you can track it.
Photo: Elago

Forever losing your new Siri Remote for Apple TV? You should probably do something about that — like wrapping yours in one of these protective silicone cases from Elago that also can house an AirTag.

Priced at less $15, the R5 case keeps your sleek and slender remote in tip-top condition, and allows it to be easily tracked when it inevitably goes missing. It also makes your Apple TV remote more comfortable to hold onto.

Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store. (Note: If you don’t yet own an Apple TV 4K with the updated Siri Remote, the set-top box is currently at its lowest price yet on Amazon.)

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

How to watch Apple’s big WWDC22 keynote [Updated]

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How to watch Apple’s big WWDC22 keynote
Don't miss a thing from WWDC22.
Photo: Cult of Mac

WWDC22 - Brought to you by CleanMyMac XOne of Apple’s biggest events is right around the corner. This year’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote promises to deliver our first look at the company’s next-generation software updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac and more. And it’s all happening on June 6.

Just like past WWDC keynotes, this year’s will be streaming online, so you’ll be able to watch it in its entirety as it all unfolds. Here’s how.

Update: The WWDC22 keynote is behind us, but if you want to get caught up you can watch the whole presentation on YouTube. Or check Cult of Mac‘s in-depth coverage.

How to watch It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown on Apple TV+

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How to watch ‘It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’ on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ subscribers can now watch It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. It’s easy.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Nothing says springtime is here like a visit from the Easter Beagle. Snoopy and his friends are back in It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, showing now on Apple TV+. It’s one of many holiday specials appearing on Apple’s streaming video service, the home of all things Peanuts.

Here’s what you need to watch it.

Apple should build ‘Find My’ into everything it makes

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Apple should build ‘Find My’ into everything it makes
We should be able to locate every type of Apple accessory with Find My.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

I’ve misplaced my AirPods case. It’s in my house … somewhere. Fortunately, I can use the Find My app to locate it, as though it were a lost AirPod or AirTag.

Ha, ha, ha! No, I can’t. AirPods cases don’t offer Find My support. Just as the feature is missing from far too many other Apple accessories.

This needs to change. Find My is amazing, but limited by not being on devices that need it.

Update: In autumn 2022, Apple built Find My support into AirPods Pro 2, a sign that the tracking system might be coming to more peripherals.