Top stories - page 10

Apple TV+ took its biggest gambles this year as a distributor of theatrical features with gargantuan budgets and run times to match, hoping that America will want to return to the epics of yesteryear in time for the holidays.

With Martin Scorsese’s heartbreaking Killers of the Flower Moon garnering headlines and climbing toward recouping its budget, here comes Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. The Apple Original biopic about the diminutive French emperor — in theaters now, and coming to Apple’s streaming service at some point in the future — proves Apple TV+ is a safe bet for good movies.

Coupling unfliniching violence with a keen sense of the absurd, it’s one of Scott’s finest films.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Tim Cook recently said Apple has “very detailed” succession plans for when he eventually steps down as CEO. Plus, the company definitely plans to hire from within. That got us thinking … who’s next in Apple’s game of thrones?

Also on The CultCast:

• OLED screens might come to iPad Air and iPad mini somewhat soonish.
• Europe’s busybody technocrats have some more grand plans for Apple and other manufacturers. We’ve got mixed emotions.
• Sonos reportedly wants to take on Apple TV and AirPods Max with rival products.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Many of us would love to own a drone, but can’t justify the huge price tag. Well, now you don’t need to. The ProVision Foldable 4K HD Camera Drone is packed full of features, and you can get it for only $69.97 (including two batteries) in a special Black Friday deal.

It’s pretty amazing what kind of images you can capture with a camera in the sky. A good drone helps you frame landscapes, follow action sports, and take the most epic mountain-top selfies imaginable. The ProVision Foldable 4K HD Camera Drone makes these possibilities truly affordable, without sacrificing features.

November 24, 1999: Steve Jobs gets another feather in his cap when Toy Story 2, the sequel to the 1995 Pixar hit, debuts in theaters. It goes on to become the first animated sequel in history to gross more than the original.

While more a piece of Steve Jobs history than Apple history, the release of Toy Story 2 caps a spectacular year for Apple’s CEO.

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.

The Cult of Mac Store’s big Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale is now in full swing, offering big discounts on awesome accessories for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and more.

Enjoy up to 50% off everything from HEDocks, 30% off Laut and Rilee & Lo, and 15% off Mifa and Elkson. The sale ends Monday, so check it out today and bag yourself a bargain before it’s too late!

Those exploring the potential for a computer programming career likely already understand the importance of having a firm grasp of Python. The programming language powers a growing number of popular apps and websites. And because of that, knowledge in this field is highly valued.

If you’re looking to gain comprehensive knowledge of Python programming skills, a major educational investment isn’t required. This Python certification bundle is price-dropped to only $23.97 (regularly $120) through December 3.

November 23, 2010: An early Apple-1 computer, complete with its original packaging and a letter signed by Steve Jobs, sells for $210,000.

At the time, it ranks as the most expensive personal computer ever sold at auction. That makes sense, because it’s an incredibly rare find. The working Apple-1 is thought to be one of only approximately 50 still in existence.

There’s truth to the maxim that if you stop learning, you stop living — and learning a new language can be one of the best ways to open new doors for your personal and professional life. And while that may not be the sort of thing you’d normally shop for on Black Friday, it turns out self-improvement is on sale along with the rest of this year’s hot items.

For a limited time, acclaimed language learning app Babbel is offering lifetime subscriptions for $139.97, a full $60 off the previous sale price.

Which iPhone is the best to buy as a gift? We’ll walk you through some of the best choices below, along with great accessories for new iPhone owners, including tough cases and handy MagSafe chargers.

What once seemed at least mildly dystopian is now being used in the everyday workplace to save time, money and brain power: artificial intelligence. ChatGPT comes to mind first, but it’s not the greatest AI for generating written content.

Enter Write Bot, an AI-powered tool designed to mimic human writing. With this pre-Black Friday deal, you can grab lifetime access for only $19.97 (regularly $539.40) for a limited time. That’s the web’s lowest price!

Sure enough, last week’s hints of looming unrest blossom this week in a full-scale coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in alt-history drama series For All Mankind, season 4, episode 3, “The Bear Hug.” And who’s in the middle of it all? Why, the former head of NASA, of course — Margo Madison.

In the span of one episode — released Wednesday instead of Friday for the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend — she gets horribly tortured and finds herself in a big new space-agency job. But it ain’t NASA this time. I’d say you can’t make this stuff up, but someone did. Meanwhile, another coup unfolds at private space-exploration company Helios Aerospace.

Apple TV+ slipped out the third episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters a few days early so Godzilla could arrive in time for Thanksgiving. Here’s a quick recap that puts it in context not only with the earlier episodes and MonsterVerse movies but also events of the 20th century.

Read on if you’re ready for massive spoilers about the latest episode, plus some speculation about the show’s future.

Today’s featured setup packs two powerful MacBooks Pro — an M1 Max for work and an M3 Pro for play. To give them hassle-free equal time with peripherals, including a big, beautiful OLED smart TV serving as a display, the user employs a Thunderbolt 4 dock bristling with ports for maximum connectivity options.

November 22, 2005: Two-and-a-half years after opening its virtual doors, the iTunes Music Store enters the list of top 10 U.S. music retailers.

While iTunes sales numbers can’t yet match the selling power of established retail giants like Walmart, Best Buy and Circuit City (or fellow tech company Amazon), this milestone nonetheless represents big news for Apple — and digital music sales as a whole.

Never worry about losing your pet again with one of Nine Twenty Eight’s new AirTag dog collars. The family-run Canadian retailer — new to the Cult of Mac Store — designs the collars with a double-stitched slot for an AirTag, which is included with some models.

That way, you have a secure, comfortable collar for your pooch that also lets you use Apple’s AirTag tracking technology to help ensure he or she never gets lost.

Nine Twenty Eight also makes cat collars, but currently the lineup in the Cult of Mac Store is a selection of small, medium and large dog collars — and personalization is an option on the medium and large sizes!

Those cryptic laundry symbols and car dashboard icons are a mystery, until now: your iPhone camera can tell you what they mean. You don’t have to look up a guide or Google their meaning; just take a picture and your iPhone will tell you.

While in my testing, it didn’t identify every single symbol, the feature will do in a pinch. And if you want to use an app for the best possible results, I have two recommendations found on the App Store that can help you.

A gift that always goes down well with Apple fans, no matter the time of year, is a brand-new pair of AirPods. But it’s important to ensure you pick the right pair out of the four on offer if you really want to impress.

In our AirPods buying guide, we’ll help you choose between AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max — and highlight some of the best cases and charging accessories to go with them.

ChatGPT makes it easy to quickly produce high-quality written content — assuming you know how to use it. You see, the generative AI platform creates content based on the prompts you use to solicit said content. And the quality of the resulting content depends to a large part on the quality of your prompts.

So basically, it’s the age-old computing truism: garbage in, garbage out.

Don’t let garbage happen. Learn to craft effective ChatGPT prompts with The Ultimate ChatGPT Prompts Guide. Usually sold for $119, this resource is primed to assist you in using AI the right way for years to come — and it’s currently available for only $19.97.

November 21, 1985: Following Steve Jobs’ departure, Apple comes close to signing its own death warrant by licensing the Macintosh’s look and feel to Microsoft.

The deal, between Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Apple CEO John Sculley, comes hot on the heels of the Windows operating system’s release. The pact gives Microsoft a “non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, nontransferable license to use [parts of the Mac technology] in present and future software programs, and to license them to and through third parties for use in their software programs.”

Oh, boy!

Almost everything is cooler when you can see right through it. Sadly, Apple stopped making transparent devices when it discontinued the iconic iMac G3. But for those craving that retro look, Elago offers a transparent Clear band for Apple Watch that looks absolutely terrific.

Made from a strong and lightweight thermoplastic, it’s incredibly comfortable to wear all day long. And it’s insanely affordable at less than $13. I’ve been wearing one for months now and it has easily become one of my favorite Apple Watch bands.

Ever feel like you could use a personal assistant in your life to deal with fast-tracking responsibilities and tasks? You may not be able to hire a secretary, but advancements in artificial technology make it simple to consistently sustain a narrower focus and appeal to more customers.

For a limited time, a one-year premium Laxis AI Meeting Assistant subscription is available for only $47.99 (regularly $160). That’s 70% savings on a highly rated service that automatically captures the most important information from customer interactions.

PDFs are supposed to make sharing documents easier, but they are often difficult to manage, edit or annotate. To streamline and improve your PDF usage, try PDF Reader Pro for Mac. The software tackles PDFs and empowers Mac users to do virtually whatever they’d like with them.

Plus, it’s on sale now at 50% off. You can grab a lifetime license to PDF Reader Pro for Mac for just $29.97 (regularly $59) through December 25.

November 20, 2007: In a milestone for iTunes movie distribution, Purple Violets becomes the first feature film to launch exclusively on Apple’s platform.

A romantic comedy directed by Edward Burns, Purple Violets stars Selma Blair, Debra Messing and Patrick Wilson. With limited offers from Hollywood’s traditional players, the filmmakers pin their hopes on iTunes distribution as an alternative way to get their movie in front of viewers.

Mac mini, Apple’s small-but-mighty desktop machine, does a lot of things well — especially the M1 and newer models. They make bigger desktop computers unnecessary for people who don’t need truly massive computing power.

And today’s featured M2 Mac mini user found a way to greatly expand his computer’s capabilities with a vertical stand that also saves space on the desk.