It’s wonderful how slim and light iPads are, including the capable 11-inch iPad Pro and 10.9-inch iPad Air. But while it may be tempting to carry yours around without any sort of case, it’s risky.
So you might consider a slim and lightweight case and stand that protects your tablet and adds a splash of color — like the Laut Huex Folio Case with Pencil Holder. You can get one at a good price in the Cult of Mac Store.
Zuckerberg has thoughts on the Vision Pro. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company’s mixed-reality headset beats Vision Pro in almost every way, despite the fact that it costs far less than Apple’s device. In a short video posted Tuesday on Instagram, Zuckerberg called the Meta Quest headset the “better product, period.”
While he praised the Vision Pro’s high-resolution displays, he said he thinks Apple made a lot of compromises on its $3,499 headset.
It's sort of like going halfway from case to caseless. Photo: Nomad
When I first saw Nomad’s brand-new Magnetic Leather Back for the iPhone 15 Pro series, I thought, what is this, like a thong for iPhone?
Well, it’s what its name describes, a partial case. And it’s for those who wish their handset was naked, but they can’t bring themselves to strip it completely.
Speidel's Matching Scrub Band for Apple Watch is just $5.99 for a limited time. Photo: Cult of Mac Store
Speidel makes all sorts of watch bands and straps — including a wide range of bands for Apple Watch. Little did we know there’s one made for medical workers, as in doctors and nurses. It’s the Speidel Matching Scrub Band for Apple Watch, and it’s on sale in the Cult of Mac Store for just $5.99, or 70% off the regular price.
You don’t need to work in health care to grab one. But if you like the looks of these colorful and inexpensive silicone Apple Watch bands, you should act fast — once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Get good deals on M2 Mac mini desktop machines at Amazon. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you need a compact PC to replace your existing machine, there’s no better buy than the Mac mini. And with Amazon taking $100 off the machine in its latest M2 Mac mini deal, Apple’s cheapest Mac provides even more value for money.
Just look over to the right to see the recipe. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you’re addicted to your Vision Pro, with your apps floating around you all the time, you’ll have to cook yourself dinner at some point. After all, you may not be able to afford to eat out after buying one. Cooking with Vision Pro offers some fun surprises, but it’s not all gravy.Know more about how the Vision Pro experience impacts daily life.
There are obvious upsides. Placing timers around your kitchen and having easy access to a recipe floating nearby seem incredibly convenient rather than fiddling with your iPhone. This is what I was most excited to try out.
But the downsides snuck up on me. I had a hard time reading my measuring spoons, nor could I tell apart my sugar from my flour. But worst of all, trying to lick the cookie dough off a large whisk without smearing the Vision Pro proved impossible.
An iMac Pro from 2017 is core to this audio recording and mastering setup. Photo: [email protected]
Before Apple’s powerful but sub-Mac Pro-level desktop Mac Studio even existed, there was iMac Pro. We don’t see the premium all-in-one desktop computer in the wild often compared to regular iMacs, but it clearly still has its fans.
Today’s featured user, who records and masters audio in a home studio, refuses to give up his 7-year-old iMac Pro until absolutely necessary. Because it’s still great. And for some people, it could be a great bargain on the used market (check out a few options in the gear list below).
Apple Wallet will soon be able to turn Apple Cash into a virtual debit card. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple Cash will soon give shoppers everything they need to make purchases online. Starting with iOS 17.4, a debit card number can be created for the financial service, along with the usual associated details.
This will be a boon for those who depend on the digital payment system, especially teenagers.
Apple's headset is still a work in progress. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple insiders think the Vision Pro is at least four generations away from reaching its “ideal form.” Apple still needs to do a lot of work behind the scenes before the headset can potentially become as popular as an iPhone or Mac.
While the first-gen headset has issues, it is an impressive first try from Apple.
Erfon has some thoughts about the Vision Pro. Photo: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After spending a few days with Apple’s headset, Erfon and Griffin are ready to unleash their initial Vision Pro reviews. They’ve got some gushing praise, some mild concerns and some unmitigated gripes.
Also on The CultCast:
A sad Vision Pro “demo” shows why you should never try the headset with your glasses on. Book a real Apple demo instead!
The technology in Apple’s headset is astonishing. So are the immersive experiences. But is all that enough to justify the price?
Griffin talks about doing actual work while wearing Vision Pro.
Erfon reveals his grand plan for a new podcast called CultCast Off Topic.
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.
Criminals can't yet steal an Apple car, but they can steal secrets of its technology. Photo: Basic Apple Guy
An Apple employee who tried to head for China with stolen secrets about Apple’s self-driving car was sentenced to four months in prison and a $147,000 fine.
He’s one of two people caught attempting industrial espionage on technical details of the upcoming autonomous vehicle.
Belkin's new combo power bank and wall charger can cover plenty of your charging needs. Photo: Belkin
Belkin rolled out a new portable 2-in-1 charger Thursday that should suit people who travel a lot or work in different places, like hybrid employees, because it’s both a wall charger and a power bank. It’s the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid Wall Charger 25W + Power Bank 5K, great for keeping devices like iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch going.
It’s set to start shipping on Valentine’s Day, February 14. And no, we’re not saying it’s a romantic gift idea.
Today's user relies on Loupedeck Live for photo and video editing tasks. Photo: Loupedeck
The other day we featured an M1 Ultra Mac Studio setup. We wanted to loop back to call out a couple of cool components in it — namely, a Loupedeck streaming media console and a Keychron Q1 Pro Mechanical Keyboard. It turns out Loupedeck Live is great for video editing (photos, too!).
"Foundation" is known for epic visuals but not a huge budget. Photo: Apple TV+
Despite the sci-fi epic Foundation being a huge hit for Apple TV+, the restart of filming for season three has reportedly been postponed as producers look for ways to trim the budget.
The news is somewhat surprising, as leaks indicated that the series was costing less than many might expect.
The update across Apple device OS software fixes a problem with overlapping text. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Apple made an unexpected software update available Thursday with a bug fix across devices, releasing macOS Sonoma 14.3.1, iOS 17.3.1, iPadOS 17.3.1 and watchOS 10.3.1 for users to install.
The fix relates to text that automatically duplicates or overlaps in various apps, like Safari, Mail and Messages.
WaterField's new Vision Pro carrying case is more compact than Apple's Travel Case, and it comes in more design choices. Photo: WaterField Designs
Apple offers a $199 Travel Case as an accessory for its new Vision Pro spatial computing headset, but Waterfield Designs just came out with a much smaller and more portable one — the Vision Pro Shield Case.
The first production run of WaterField’s cool new case is already sold out, but you can order it now and it will ship on February 29, the company said.
It's another sign Cupertino is very serious about competing in artificial intelligence. Photo: Cult of Mac
When it comes to deploying artificial intelligence in products, companies like Google might seem quicker on the draw than Apple. But no major tech company bought more AI startups than the iPhone-maker in 2023, according to a new report.
That suggests Apple might soon become a leader in generative AI rather than playing catch-up.
Windows users with an iPhone, grab the Apple Music app today. Screenshot: Apple
Windows users can now download full versions of the Apple Music and Apple TV applications, as well as a new Apple Devices app. They make the venerable iTunes app almost obsolete.
The software combination is the new way to manage an iPhone or iPad on a Windows PC.
M3 MacBook Pro hits Apple's refurbished store. Photo: Apple
You can now buy the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip from Apple’s Certified Refurbished store. The machine launched less than four months ago, in late October 2023.
While the M3 Pro/Max MacBook Pros also debuted in October, they are not listed for sale on Apple’s refurbished store.
Ugreen's new Revodock 213 Max hub suits all sorts of power users. Photo: Ugreen
Ugreen rolled out three new series of Revdock hubs Tuesday compatible with Macs, including the Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 dock with 40Gbps transfer speeds, support for dual 4K displays and a staggering 13 ports.
“The Max 213 [is] the premier product specifically tailored for professionals in fields such as media, data/financial analysis, photography, audio/video production and more,” the company said. “With ultra-high speed and ultra-high efficiency, it facilitates seamless collaboration and productivity.”
Apple won't release a folding iPhone until it can make a good one. Concept: Ran Avni
One of the design goals of a folding iPhone is a unit no thicker than one of Apple’s current handsets when folded closed, according to information leaking out of the company. In fact, a pair of incredibly thin folding iPhone prototypes already exist, according to a new report.
Cupertino’s efforts in this area have supposedly been going on since 2018, but available components haven’t been up to making the device the company wants to build.
EasyPencil 3 and 4 both feature magnetic stylus attachment to an iPad (but charging requires USB-C). Photo: SwitchEasy
If you recently got an iPad, you probably want a stylus so you can write and draw on it more precisely than you can with your fingertips. But Apple Pencil 2 might set you back $129. So how about something similar for less than half the price?
A good option is the SwitchEasy EasyPencil Pro. You can get the fourth-gen version of it in the Cult of Mac Store for just $47.99. Plus you can get 20% off tips for different uses. Or you can nab the third-gen EasyPencil for only $43.99. Sale ends today.