Last week’s season four opener of Apple TV+ alt-history drama series For All Mankind went necessarily big to catch everyone up and start off with a bang. So it’s not surprising episode two establishes a more practical stride, focusing on the realities of life in a working Mars colony.
Turns out life sucks for the working man up there in more ways than just an alarming chance of fatality. Life in Happy Valley, Mars, also tells a deeply unfair tale of haves and have-nots, just like on Earth.
The KYY K3-3 Portable Monitor adds a high-quality second screen to your Mac or iPad. Even some iPhones. It’s 15.6 inches and has a 4K resolution, so it’s designed for work and play wherever you go.
I tested the reasonably priced second screen in my home office and when working remotely to see how it stands up to real-world use. I like it more than I expected to.
One thing we love about Apple is the staying power of its beautiful displays. We see the Studio Display maker’s much older Cinema Displays and Thunderbolt Displays used in modern computer setups pretty regularly.
Today’s MacBook Pro setup recently added a docking station to charge the laptop while connecting it to a classic LED Cinema Display.
Lego Bricktales is a fun way to play with these bricks wherever you go. The game challenges players to build their way through puzzles in a variety of colorful environments.
November 17, 1995: Apple releases the first beta version of its new Mac OS Copland operating system to approximately 50 developers. Not so much a Mac OS update as a totally new operating system, it offers next-gen features designed to help Apple take on the then-mighty Windows 95.
Want a safer, more privacy-focused online experience? You can eliminate web tracking, secure your privacy, and protect your data with Ivacy VPN. It works on iOS, macOS and more, and you can use it on up to five devices with a single dirt-cheap subscription.
With this special pre-Black Friday deal, you can score lifetime access to Ivacy VPN for only $39.99 (regularly $97) — the lowest price on the web!
One of the best ways to use MagSafe on iPhone is to make it carry your wallet. It means you don’t have to remember to pick up multiple items every time you leave the house, and it ensures that you always have access to credit and ID cards that you can’t carry virtually in the Apple Wallet app.
Now that we’ve had MagSafe for a few years, there are lots of great wallets to choose from. Here are six of the best that you can slap onto the back of your iPhone today.
Smart shoppers know that Sam’s Club offers pretty much everything you need for the holidays. You can start with great prices on gifts (including Apple products), but you also can save on appliances, decorations and plenty of delicious food to fuel your holiday feasts.
Better yet, the savings don’t stop after you snap out of your holiday food coma. You will save on essentials all year long at Sam’s Club. Chances are there’s a location near you, and there’s never been a better time to join. Cult of Mac readers can get a one-year membership to Sam’s Club for just $20. This membership typically costs $50, and it can pay for itself in a single visit!
Almost every day, our robot vacuum tangles itself in charging cables, which the kids toss cavalierly across the floor. Snaking from behind the couch, the cords wait like baited fishing lines to ensnare our unsuspecting Roomba. It’s an unmitigated cable management disaster.
Luckily, we just got some Cable Blocks from Function101. Cable Blocks are rubbery little magnetic blocks that sit on your desk or nightstand and hold cables out of the way. It’s a simple and clever design.
Here’s why Cable Blocks are my favorite cable management system.
In what is apparently an enormous change of direction, Apple reportedly plans to add support for Rich Communication Services to the iPhone Messages app in 2024. This will enable iPhones and Androids to communicate more effectively, with more of the bells and whistles associated with Apple’s proprietary iMessage platform.
It also could be the end of the green bubble versus blue bubble controversy, though not necessarily.
November 16, 1982: Intent on calling Apple’s upcoming personal computer the “Macintosh,” Steve Jobs pens an impassioned plea to audio company McIntosh Laboratory asking permission to use the name.
You can probably guess how the resulting discussions turned out!
If you love YouTube but hate YouTube ads, Vinegar is the best Safari extension you can download. It blocks all ads on YouTube and restores many iOS-native features like playing videos in the background, picture-in-picture, and more on iPhone, iPad and Mac alike.
YouTube ads are freaking insufferable. But if you don’t want to put down the dough for YouTube Premium (currently $13.99 per month), you can pay a one-time fee of just $1.99 to buy Vinegar for all your Apple devices.
Just about everything electronic requires firmware — Apple’s iPad stylus is no exception. With software comes updates, and there’s new one for the recently released version of the Apple Pencil with a USB-C port.
Here’s how to check what firmware version your Apple Pencil is currently running, and a suggestion on how to get the new update.
Anyone who loves vinyl records will tell you that the physicality of the medium is half the fun. Still, those precious platters aren’t exactly the most portable way to bring music to the party, to say nothing of the equipment you need to play them — until now.
The RokBlok 2.0 is a compact, self-contained record player that spins around while the record stays still, and it’s on sale now with early Black Friday pricing. Now through December 3, you can grab it for yourself or a loved one for only $79.97 (regularly $99).
Toys make fantastic gifts, but printing unlimited toys on demand? That may just be the coolest thing anyone could ever receive. With the Toybox 3D Printer Deluxe Bundle, kids and kidults alike can make their toy dreams a reality.
Ahead of Black Friday and the holiday gift-shopping craze, Cult of Mac readers can get a kid-friendly Toybox 3D printer, bundled with eight printer food colors, for only $329.97 (regularly $439). This hot deal only lasts until November 16, though.
Legends Christian Dior and Coco Chanel launched modern fashion design amid the horrors of Nazi occupation in Paris, according to the first look Apple TV+ provided Wednesday for The New Look.
Boasting a star-studded cast, the 10-episode historical drama series premieres February 14.
Whether you call them monitor risers, desk shelves or display stands, finding the right one for your desk’s size can be a huge boon to your computer setup. Today’s featured Mac mini workstation benefits from a compact Balolo stand sitting toward the back of a small desk.
You can see that choice desk shelf and several other options below, along with all the setup’s gear, including a Studio Display and marvelous high-end headphones.
November 15, 1990: Cupertino wins a design patent for the Apple Extended Keyboard II, arguably the greatest computer keyboard of all time.
Delivering the perfect combination of durability, feel and a pleasing click-clack sound, the Extended Keyboard II will become a mainstay of pro-grade Apple setups during the early 1990s — and perhaps the best-loved keyboard in Apple history. Courtesy of an ADB-to-USB adapter, some people continue to use them today.
Professionals looking for a more powerful MacBook will get really significantly more performance by upgrading to an M3 Max processor instead of the M3 Pro.
It’s no surprise that the Max version of one of Apple’s new chips is faster than the Pro, but many people might not be aware how very much faster it is.
When you’re traveling, nothing beats a single, small charging station that can power up multiple Apple devices simultaneously. Enter the MagStack 3-in-1 wireless charging station, which can juice up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods without cluttering up your desk or bedside table.
This remarkably portable power station resembles Apple’s MagSafe Duo. However, it proves even more useful than that now-discontinued device, which retailed for a hefty $129.
For a limited time, the MagStack is on sale for just $42.97 (regularly $74), making it surprisingly affordable. (You can save even more on a two-pack.) It even comes with the 20W power adapter you’ll need to plug into the wall!
Find electric car charging stations from Apple Maps while you’re on the road to figure out where you can top up your EV. Apple Maps added some powerful new features in iOS 17 to make it easy: you can see charger availability, charging speed and connector types for your vehicle.
As cybercrime becomes more prevalent, so do employment opportunities for people with the skills to battle hackers, phishers and other online baddies. The Complete 2023 CompTIA Course Super Bundle offers 13 courses that can help you earn the certifications you need to tap into this increasingly lucrative career path.
Ahead of Black Friday, you can gain lifetime access to these cybersecurity-focused courses from iducate for only $39.97 (regularly $195). Don’t delay — that’s the best price online!
Owning a copy of Microsoft Office is simply essential in today’s remote and hybrid working world. Set yourself up to work from home or anywhere with a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac, on sale now for just $49.99 (list price $249.99).
Ever order a bento box from a Japanese restaurant, with sushi and other foods in separate little compartments? The Function101 BentoStack Charge 8000 is like that — except it holds Apple accessories you want to store at your desk or tote around. Plus, it charges them.
The BentoStack comes with four useful compartments that you can use as trays. And it features a rechargeable power bank.