As legacy studios like Disney face formidable problems, a new report suggests CEO Bob Iger might revisit a “once-unthinkable option” — that Apple might buy the company, or at least a stripped-down version of it.
After all, in a near-future of even greater tech-company dominance over entertainment, Disney may need deep-pocketed protection. And its longstanding connection with Apple could come into play.
Today’s featured Mac Studio setup found an interesting way to arrange its four displays — three little ones in a row and one huge one broadcasting the Bat-Signal on top.
With Batman undoubtedly on his way (OK, maybe it’s just the logo, not the actual signal), the workstation also boasts a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Apple’s Smart Folio and a remarkably affordable mechanical keyboard for use with the desktop machine.
★★★☆☆
In a world of ever-more-compact-and-potent chargers, Mobfree launched a surprising and innovative entrant Wednesday on Kickstarter. It’s XuperCable, a three-in-one gadget with three retractable connectors to fast-charge a variety of devices at up to a 100 watts
It’s a funny-looking critter with its tentacles (cables), but it’s quite useful. It sticks to surfaces, it rotates and its three cables unspool and retract — what could possibly go wrong? Not much, as it turns out. The company sent me a XuperCable to try out.
Even in the digital era, papers can pile up and become scattered or lost if you’re not careful. So we’re serving up a solution to keep all those important items accessible.
During our Back-to-School Sale, a lifetime subscription to the iScanner app is marked down to only $39.99 (regularly $59) with no coupon required through Aug. 13. That’s 33% savings on a service that will make digitizing and tracking documents much more manageable for years to come.
Nomad added a new limited-edition Sport Band for Apple Watch Tuesday, and this one glows in the dark. That’s why it’s called Glow.
By day the waterproof bands appears off-white, but in the dark in glows bright green. It will be tough to misplace it, even at night.
A fresh school year is suddenly upon us and there is plenty to stock up on, from classroom necessities to lunch supplies. You can avoid becoming overwhelmed financially with discounted shopping on a variety of essential items.
You can claim a one-year membership to Sam’s Club for only $24.99 (regularly $50) during our Back-to-School Sale, which runs through August 13. Featuring nearly 600 locations nationwide, this popular warehouse store implements a limited-item business model that prioritizes high-quality products rather than loading up on as many brands as possible. And that means unique opportunities for shoppers to find value.
Dear university students: While it’s tempting to buy the hot new MacBook Air, doing so would mean a huge loss of flexibility. You simply don’t need to pay hundreds of dollars more for a laptop that’s less versatile. An iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard and Pencil fits your needs much better, especially now that it has the very same M2 chip inside.
And beyond the versatility, the whole iPad lineup can do just about everything you can expect a Mac to do every day.
To be clear, there are exceptions to this — some students really do need a Mac. But odds are you’re not one of them.
The new Apple TV+ trailer for the upcoming drama series The Changeling starts off lightly enough — LaKeith Stanfield’s character, Apollo, can’t get a date with Clark Backo’s Emma in New York City because she’s moving to Brazil.
But once she’s there, dark magic soon reveals this Big Apple-based “drama” to be an absolute supernatural horror show. It premieres Friday, September 8.
★★★★☆
Advanced computer docking stations keep getting better. The new Alogic Quad Display DV4 Universal Docking Station is a fine example, easily connecting up to four screens and several other peripherals to a computer.
That’s important for anyone relying on a laptop with limited ports — like many MacBook Pro and MacBook Air users over the years — who can appreciate a good docking station that broadens limited connectivity options.
Dear university students: While it’s tempting to buy the top-tier MacBook Pro, it would be a huge waste of money. You simply don’t need to pay an extra $1,000 or more for a notebook that powerful. A MacBook Air fits your needs much better, especially now that there’s a 15-inch version.
And beyond the higher price, the increased performance of the MacBook Pro comes with a drawback you’ll notice every day.
To be clear, there are exceptions for this — some students really do need a MacBook Pro. But odds are you’re not one of them.
August 8, 1997: At Macworld Expo, Steve Jobs introduces the world to Apple’s new slogan, “Think different.” The catchy marketing reassures fans that Apple is exiting its mid-1990s dark age and once again making products customers will love.
It’s the beginning of Apple’s most iconic advertising campaign since the original “1984” Macintosh ad.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you already know that AI platforms like ChatGPT can mimic just about any kind of writing style. In fact, they can even code iPhone apps. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize what kind of a boon that can be for entrepreneurs, and there’s finally a tool that can harness the power of AI specifically for marketing and search engine optimization.
Whether you need SEO-focused ad copy, blog posts or almost other any kind of content, you owe it to yourself to give Linkdelta a try.
The internet isn’t as wild as it once was, but at the same time, the threats have become more focused and more dangerous. This one-year subscription to Norton 360 and LifeLock protects your privacy on two devices.
We joined forces with Pitaka this week for an exciting giveaway that will take you over the moon. Two lucky winners will score big with the ultra-cool Moon Wondering MagEZ Case for iPhone 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max. This limited-edition iPhone case is totally sold out, so this is your last chance to get one.
This Moon Wondering Kit is worth $89.99 and it comes with a bunch of goodies — a MagEZ Moon Wondering iPhone Case, a MagEZ Grip and a special Moon Wondering coin. Talk about a package deal!
August 7, 2006: Apple unleashes the first Mac Pro, a high-end desktop computer that completes the company’s transition from PowerPC to Intel processors.
Built for computation-heavy tasks like 3D rendering and professional audio and video editing, the quad-core, 64-bit Mac Pro serves as a replacement for the Power Mac G5 (from which it borrows its aluminum “cheese grater” design).
We look at a lot of computer setups on social media, but sometimes what drives conversation among commenters surprises us. With today’s Mac Studio rig with an odd couple of mismatched displays, the main debate concerned … keyboards for iPad.
Specifically, when an iPad is so wonderfully light, what keyboard case doesn’t weight it down too much?
★★★★☆
Few pieces of technology I’ve used in my escapades as Gadget Hunter have been as transformative as a network-attached storage device. My previous favorite NAS was Synology’s DiskStation 1520+, but the company’s 1522+ is even more essential now, thanks to the addition of one key feature.
First impressions can go a long way, especially on social media. If you’d like to boost the impact of your photography, from selfies to scenic shots, we’re serving up a limited-time discount on an advanced photo editing app.
You can currently get a one-year membership to Picsart for only $29.99 (regularly $60) with no coupon necessary. Instantly gain the full range of Picsart perks, and make your pictures appear professionally done, for half the price.
Planet of the Apps is a series of interviews with app developers about making, marketing and maintaining apps in the App Store.
Indie developer and podcaster Casey Liss used to hate SwiftUI, Apple’s controversial UI toolkit for crafting apps. A lot of developers have a deep and abiding animus for SwiftUI, including Liss himself. But after using SwiftUI to create his latest app Callsheet, a movie and TV database app, he’s now a huge fan.
“So much of SwiftUI, I love,” he said in a wide-ranging and surprisingly-interesting interview. “I went from nothing to a fully functional app … in the span of a couple of weeks… It was stunningly fast.”
August 6, 1997: In one of the most famous moments in Apple history, Steve Jobs reveals that Microsoft invested $150 million in its rival.
Although often presented as an inexplicable gesture of good faith on the part of Microsoft boss Bill Gates, the cash infusion into Apple actually benefits both companies.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Which gets you more excited, an AirTag with new AR capabilities, a pink Apple Watch or a black titanium Apple Watch Ultra? This week’s top Apple rumors fuel our imaginations …
Also on The CultCast:
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.
August 5, 1997: Apple gets into a standoff with Power Computing, a maker of Macintosh clones. It marks the beginning of the end for Apple’s mid-’90s strategy of licensing the Mac operating system.
“If the [Mac] platform goes closed, it is over,” predicts Power Computing CEO Joel J. Kocher of Apple’s strategy. “[It’s] total destruction. The kiss of death.” Of course, things don’t turn out exactly like that for Apple…
Daily meditation can work wonders by restoring your focus and improving your mood. And we’ve got a deal on an excellent app that can help. Our Back-to-School Sale now gives new users more than 50% off a lifetime subscription to Mindfulness.com, plus access to its entire mental health toolkit.
The iPhone 15 Pro replaces the mute/silent switch with a customizable Action button that can do a number of actions you pick. If you set it to an Accessibility feature, you have 25 different options that you can toggle on or off.
And on any older iPhone, you can simply triple-click the side button to access the same 25 accessibility features. You can’t do things like launch a Shortcut or turn on your iPhone’s flashlight, but a lot of people can benefit from these features.
Here are all 25 of the features you can assign to a button on your iPhone — and what they do.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+’s magnificent space opera Foundation is lost in space this week. A small party heads inside the Vault on Terminus to speak to the prophet — and comes away bewildered by what they find.
Plus, Bel Riose is back in action and finds himself a different creature than when last he stormed the battlefield. And Brother Day’s marriage is about to get complicated by his bride’s secret, all on a very l0vely episode of the series, entitled “Where the Stars Are Scattered Thinly.”
