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Slick new backpack includes Find My locator

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The straightforward backpack features Find My functionality and is made from recycled bottles.
The straightforward backpack features Find My functionality and is made from recycled bottles.
Photo: Targus

Known for laptop cases and other accessories, Targus recently unveiled its new Cypress Hero Backpack with Find My Locator.

So if it goes missing, you can find the eco-friendly pack and any gear in it using your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

13-inch vs. 15-inch MacBook Air: Which one should you buy?

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13-inch vs. 15-inch MacBook Air comparison
Which M2 MacBook Air model is right for you?
Image: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

Apple’s redesigned 13-inch MacBook Air from 2022 remains among the best portable laptops you can buy. The 15-inch MacBook Air packs the same benefits in a slightly bigger form factor.

So, which MacBook Air model is right for you — 13-inch or 15-inch? Read our comparison to find out.

Apple opens the floodgates for Mac gaming

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A lineup of Macs running The Medium
Porting PC games to the Mac just got “easier than ever before.”
Photo: Apple
WWDC23

A stealth announcement at WWDC23 is that Apple has significantly lowered the barrier of entry to port PC games to the Mac. A new Game Porting Toolkit “provides an emulation environment to run your existing, unmodified Windows game,” says Aiswariya Sreenivassan — a GPU, graphics and displays software engineer at Apple.

It’s a big gap to clear, which is why the Mac has been left behind in recent years. PC games are compiled for the Intel x86 architecture that the Mac just finished moving away from. The unified Apple silicon architecture bears little resemblance to the standard gaming PC with discrete graphics cards and memory. Apple’s Metal 3 library is very different from DirectX, Unity, Unreal and Vulkan — the usual suspects across the computing pond.

Apple’s new tools could open the floodgates for Mac ports of popular PC games. According to a game engine programmer I spoke with, the Game Porting Toolkit demo is “really impressive.” If the tools work as well in practice as in Apple’s demo, they “would be incredibly useful,” said the developer, who works for a major game developer and asked to remain anonymous.

Mac Pro finally gets updated to Apple silicon, is 3X faster

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The new Mac Pro features Apple's powerful M2 Ultra chip with PCI expansion.
The new Mac Pro features Apple's powerful M2 Ultra chip with PCI expansion.
Photo: Apple
WWDC23

Apple’s transition to its own silicon is finally complete with the launch of a new Mac Pro, which combines Apple’s powerful M2 Ultra chip with PCIe expansion.

The new Mac Pro features the “most powerful chip ever created for a personal computer,” and is up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Intel-based model.

Mac Studio updated with ‘most powerful chip ever made for a personal computer’

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Screenshot of Apple introducing the new Mac Studio at WWDC23.
The Mac Studio has been updated with the powerful M2 Ultra chip.
Screenshot: Apple
WWDC23

The Mac Studio just got its first update, and it’s a screamer.

The desktop machine now comes with Apple’s new M2 Ultra chip — the “most powerful chip ever created for a personal computer,” according to Apple.

The new chip, based on Apple silicon, triples the performance of the previous M1 machine.

New super-size MacBook Air is ‘world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop’

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New super-size MacBook Air is 'world's thinnest 15-inch laptop'
A 15.3-inch version of the MacBook Air joins the 13.6-inch one.
Screenshot: Apple
WWDC23

The 15.3-inch MacBook Air 2023 starts at $1,299 and is available in several stunning colors, including starlight, silver, midnight, and the ever-popular space gray MacBook Air. For a closer look at how space gray compares to silver, check out this detailed review.

The newest macOS notebook boasts a long battery life, comes with an Apple M2 processor, and the price is only $1,299.

“With its incredible performance and striking design, the new MacBook Air is the world’s best 15-inch laptop. And it’s only possible with Apple silicon,” said John Ternus, Apple’s SVP of hardware engineering, in a statement.

WWDC23: What to expect from Apple’s blockbuster keynote [Updated]

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WWDC23: What to expect
Apple has plenty of announcements lined up for WWDC23
Photo/Graphics: Apple/Rajesh
WWDC23

With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just a week hours away, anticipation is building for what looks like one of the company’s most momentous events in years. In addition to the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and macOS, Apple reportedly plans to use its WWDC23 keynote on June 5 to showcase some very interesting hardware.

Here’s a roundup of what to expect from the WWDC23 keynote, which streams live at 10 a.m. Pacific today.

Yes, no, maybe: Our WWDC23 predictions [The CultCast]

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WWDC23 predictions on The CultCast.
It's more than just a guessing game. Our WWDC23 predictions are all about honor!
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
WWDC23

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With WWDC23 just days away, we’re going on the record with our predictions for Apple’s most momentous developer conference in years. Will iOS 17 allow alternative app stores? Will the Apple headset cost $3,000? Will our reputations survive this public guessing game?

Also on The CultCast:

  • It looks like new high-end Macs will definitely be in the mix — and the leaked specs sound absolutely blistering.
  • The Apple headset’s advanced hardware might make virtual reality look stunningly real.
  • Generative AI shows us what the rest of Taylor Swift’s evermore album cover might look like.

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.

New high-end Macs with M2 Max and Ultra chips could debut at WWDC23 [Updated]

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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 2023 Mac Studio might debut as soon as next week.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
WWDC23

Apple could launch two new high-end desktop Macs at WWDC23 next week. Labeled internally as Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14, the two machines could be Apple’s most powerful Macs yet.

Likely aimed at professionals, the new desktop Macs — likely updated versions of the Mac Studio — reportedly will feature M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. The rumored specs point to big performance boosts.

Last chance: Get Microsoft Office for life for just $29.99

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Stop paying monthly subscriptions and get Microsoft Office for life for just $49.99.
This offer for a lifetime license for either Mac or Windows is available for a one-time purchase of $29.99 for a limited time.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you’re a Mac-loving photo editor, a Windows-loving student, or just about anything in between, you probably could benefit from having Microsoft Office on your computer. But if you’re thinking that you’d hate to add another monthly subscription to your list, don’t worry.

This offer for a lifetime MS Office license for either Mac or Windows is available for a one-time purchase of $29.99 for a limited time. This new price drop takes it back to Cult of Mac Deals’ all-time low price. However, the price goes up on June 1.

2 key items complete killer workstation [Setups]

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With a good iPad stand and a DAC/amp added for audio, this setup is finally done. For now.
With a good iPad stand and a DAC/amp added for audio, this setup is finally done. For now.
Photo: [email protected]

Part of the fun of covering computer setups for Cult of Mac is seeing how a setup is never “done.” Blood, sweat, tears and time may go into it, but it will always need something — whether that’s missing functionality, better decoration or the next generation of a key device.

Today’s featured M2 MacBook Air setup is a good example. Since we featured an earlier version of it just weeks ago, the user made important changes. He added two components to maximize crucial iPad functionality and pump up audio.

How Final Cut Pro for iPad differs from Mac version

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Final Cut Pro for iPad gives users the ultimate mobile studio for all their video and editing needs — no matter where they are.
Final Cut Pro for the iPad is a lot different from its Mac counterpart.
Photo: Apple

After a long wait, Final Cut Pro, Apple’s professional video editing software, is now available for M1 or newer iPads. Editors accustomed to Final Cut Pro on their Mac can easily switch to their iPad as a portable editing machine.

However, before starting with Final Cut Pro on your iPad, you need to know how it differs from the Mac build. Both versions enable pro-level video editing, but they are understandably different in key ways.

How to use a great Mac VPN for privacy and streaming

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Intego Privacy Protection running on MacBook Air
Get a quality VPN for privacy and streaming on your Mac.
Image: Intego

What’s the best VPN to use on a Mac, and how do you use a VPN for data privacy? With Intego Privacy Protection, you can instantly connect to servers all around the world, including ones specially optimized for streaming. This advanced VPN comes with plenty of options for keeping your data secure and private.

You can set it to automatically open when you start your Mac, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to launch it. Intego’s international servers, which are optimized for streaming services, worked perfectly in my testing. I’ll show you how to get started with one of the best VPNs for Mac.

How to reset your Mac to factory settings

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Mac mini with external hard drive, keyboard, trackpad and display sitting on the floor (isometric perspective)
Always reset your Mac before selling or passing it along to a friend.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Selling your old Mac or passing it to a friend or family member? It is always a good idea to reset your Mac to factory settings before doing so.

This ensures the machine wipes clean all your data, so you won’t have to worry about any privacy problems. The best part is that Apple makes it very easy to reset a MacBook, iMac or Mac mini to its factory state.

What to expect from the first 15-inch MacBook Air

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2023 MacBook Air 15-inch concept
There's never been a MacBook Air with a screen this large.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
WWDC23

Two weeks from today, Apple will launch the first 15-inch MacBook Air, according to multiple tipsters. This will be the largest consumer-oriented notebook Apple has ever offered.

You don’t need to wait for WWDC23 to get the details, though. Here’s everything that has leaked out about this soon-to-be-released Mac.

Apple’s next-gen M3 Pro chip could pack even more CPU and GPU cores

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Apple M3 processor
The wait for the Apple M3 processor could be shorter than expected.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly began internal testing of Macs powered by next-generation M3 chips. At least one of the variants could feature a 12-core CPU, an 18-core GPU and 36GB of system memory.

The next-generation Apple silicon remains a few months away from release, however. Rumors suggest it could debut at the end of this year or early 2024.

Grab a refurbished MacBook Air for just $247.99

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Buy refurbished and grab this 11
Get this refurbished MacBook Air with 128GB of storage for $247.99.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Each generation of laptops comes with its own quirks and improvements, but a Mac is still a Mac. That’s why when it comes to a workhorse laptop, you don’t need to automatically turn to the newest, shiniest model on the shelf. Buying refurbished Apple gear is an incredible way to get a a high-quality computer without overpaying.

For sleekness and portability at an incredibly affordable price, this refurbished MacBook Air is the solution. You can grab one now for only $247.99, along with an included protective case.

Here comes the MacBook Air we’ve been waiting for [The CultCast]

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15-inch MacBook Air will be a dream machine.
The 15-inch MacBook Air will be a dream machine.
Image: Cult of Mac
WWDC23

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: What will WWDC23 bring us? In addition to a sweeping look at the future of all Apple’s platforms, it sounds like we’ll get some major new hardware. Yes, there’s that $3,000 AR/VR headset, but there’s also something we really want: a 15-inch MacBook Air.

Also on The CultCast:

  • The Apple Watch interface will get a major upgrade with watchOS 10. And the same holds true for Stage Manger in iPadOS 17.
  • All about Apple’s new Rapid Security Response system for deploying urgent upgrades.
  • Shockingly, internal strife seems to be one of the things holding back Siri and Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts.

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.

Enter to win a stylish MacBook case from SwitchEasy [Cult of Mac giveaway]

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A pedestrian carries a SwitchEasy Urban MacBook Sleeve while walking in a crosswalk.
Protect your MacBook the best way possible while out and about.
Photo: SwitchEasy

For this week’s giveaway, we teamed up with SwitchEasy, maker of one of the finest MacBook cases around. Two lucky winners will bag a SwitchEasy Urban MacBook Sleeve.

Made of water-resistant threaded polyester material, these laptop cases will protect a MacBook from scuffs and scrapes. And they look good while doing so!

Apple boosts iPhone, Mac and iPad trade-in values again

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iPhone 12 Pro parts cost shockingly little
Your Apple device might be worth more than you think.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The amount of money Apple will pay you to trade in a previous-generation iPhone just increased. And that’s the second time this spring. The same holds true for Mac and iPad.

So, if you have an older Apple device sitting around, it might be worth more than you suspect.

How to fake your GPS location for Pokémon Go and other fun stuff

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Fake It Till You Make It
This free, open-source app makes it easy to fake your GPS location.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can use a free Mac app called LocationSimulator to hide your real location on your iPhone. It works great as a Pokémon Go spoofer. Just set it up, then plug your phone into a Mac and tell it where you want to “be.” You don’t need to jailbreak your phone or install anything on it.

When using LocationSimulator, every app on your iPhone will use this new GPS location. It’s useful for maintaining privacy — for instance, if you’re posting screenshots online, it’ll mask your real home address. Developers can use it, too, for testing location features in their apps.

Best of all, you just need a Mac. LocationSimulator is free and open-source.

M1 iMac gets staggering $499 discount [Updated]

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apple_new-imac-spring21_pf-yellow_04202021
This amazing deal knocks the M1 iMac's price down to less than $1,000.
Photo: Apple

You can currently get Apple’s beautiful and powerful M1 iMac for less than $1,000. The 24-inch all-in-one computer is currently available for $999.99 after a massive $499.01 discount.

The deal is on the more powerful eight-core CPU variant of the 24-inch iMac, which ships with two Thunderbolt ports and two USB 3 ports.

Update: Amazon sold out of these units so the deal is now over.