MagEasy glams it up a bit with one of its new iPhone 14 cases. Photo: MagEasy
If you have an iPhone 14, you may want to protect it with a new case. MagEasy offers an interesting selection of options, from glamorous to rugged (but without the bulk). You’ll also find four screen protectors and a portable stand in the mix.
The gang of third-string MI5 agents from Slough House has plenty of fans. Photo: Apple TV+
The Apple TV+ espionage-thriller series Slow Horses pulls in big audiences. It gets more viewers than almost anything else on streaming, according to a pair of market analyses.
Apple TV+ actually has two very popular series streaming now. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is also near the top of the rating charts.
The best tablets in the world are about to get even better. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest Apple rumors point to a jumbo iPad Air and even-better (and pricier) iPad Pros landing in early 2024. Plus, Apple’s powerful M3 chip reportedly will come to more Macs.
We run down what it all means. Brace yourself for performance!
Also on The CultCast:
Cool new features coming to next-gen iPhones will make Apple’s world-beating smartphone even better. We’re especially excited about a turbocharged Action button.
Government spying on push notifications is definitely a thing.
Installment number one of our “best of 2023” picks. These fabulous things made us quiver with joy this year.
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.
Check out our guide for gifting Apple products this holiday season. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You’re running out of time to buy the Apple gifts your loved ones want for the holidays. If you need to buy an iPhone, iPad or AirPods, you need to make a well-informed decision quickly — but how do you know which model to get?
The head of iPhone's product design is leaving Apple. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Tang Tan, the vice president of product design for Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch, is leaving in February 2024. He reportedly made “critical decisions about Apple’s most important products.”
Following his departure, Apple will reshuffle and split up the hardware design team to manage Tang’s responsibilities.
You can almost hear Santa landing on the roof. Photo: [email protected]
This time of year folks are getting in the holiday spirit and setting up Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs or Kwanzaa kinaras. But don’t forget to light up your Mac, iPad and iPhone screens with festive holiday wallpapers, too.
Today’s featured setup iMac and MacBook Air setup is so festive they could maybe skip all the other decorations!
This charger is perfect for travelers with multiple Apple gadgets. Photo: mophie
This week’s Cult of Mac giveaway prize is a mophie 3-in-1 MagSafe travel charger that retails for $149.95. The compact charger is perfect for anyone with a busy schedule who’s on the go. You can charge multiple devices simultaneously at maximum speed with this great fold-up Apple accessory.
The 3-in-1 charger can juice up an iPhone, an Apple Watch and AirPods all at once. It comes with a handy travel pouch to keep everything securely together, plus a USB-C cable and a wall adapter. Enter below for your chance to win — we’re giving away three of these excellent travel chargers.
This $4 check signed by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sold for many thousands of dollars. Photo: RR Auction
Apple is a trillion dollar company today but it started out with very humble origins. There’s no better evidence than company co-founder Steve Jobs hand writing a check to the electronics store RadioShack for $4.01.
And now that check recently up for auction, and bought in 11,500 times its original value. How ‘s that for appreciation?
iPad 11 reportedly won’t be one of the tablets Apple unveils in March 2024. Instead, the next generation of the most affordable iPad won’t be out until the second half of the year.
And part of the development will supposedly happen in Vietnam.
Apple builds on NameDrop in iOS 17.2 to deliver an even better way to share passes. Photo: Apple
iOS 17.2 will introduce a new way for sharing boarding passes, tickets and other passes stored in the Wallet app.
Like NameDrop, the iOS feature that lets owners easily share contact info, the new way to share passes will require bringing your iPhone close to the top of another iPhone with the Wallet app open.
Apple offers end-to-end encryption in Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. Photo: Apple
Data breaches have compromised 2.6 billion personal consumer records in the past two years, with a rapid rise since last year, according to an independent study Apple published Thursday.
Increasing threats to consumer data stored in the cloud underscore a need for end-to-end data encryption like Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, launched in 2022, Apple said.
“Bad actors continue to pour enormous amounts of time and resources into finding more creative and effective ways to steal consumer data, and we won’t rest in our efforts to stop them,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “As threats to consumer data grow, we’ll keep finding ways to fight back on behalf of our users by adding even more powerful protections.”
Satechi just launched a trio of USB C adapters that increase users' display and connectivity options. Photo: Satechi
You can connect the USB-C port on your MacBook directly to a high-resolution monitor without a hub using Satechi’s new HDMI adapter. And there’s also a version with a built-in 2-meter cable for easier connections.
In addition, the accessory-maker also just launched a USB-C Ethernet Adapter that offers up to 2.5 Gigabit data transfers.
Whatever Jo (Noomi Pace) is looking at here, it's ain't good. Photo: Apple TV+
After a disaster in space, an astronaut returns to Earth to find pieces of her life missing in the upcoming Apple TV+ sci-fi series Constellation. Apple released a “first look” at the action-packed psychological thriller Thursday.
The “conspiracy-based space adventure,” which stars Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks, sets down on Apple TV+ on February 21.
Any sealed surface will take Xvida's mounting pad to magnetically hold your iPad. Photo: Xvida
iPads are light and easy to handle, but sometimes you need your hands for other tasks — like glancing at a recipe while cooking. That’s where Xvida’s Magnetic Wall Mount for tablets comes in super, well, handy.
And it’s available now in the Cult of Mac Store for just $25.
There's now one less way for Facebook to spy on you. Photo: Meta/Cult of Mac
Facebook tightened security on its popular Messenger platform by adding end-to-end encryption for all users. This means Meta can not eavesdrop on conversations.
Reports that this feature was “coming soon” have been circulating since at least 2016.
Unidentified countries request push notification records from Apple and Google to gain info about smartphone users. Photo illustration: Bagus Hernawan/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac
Some governments are spying on push notifications sent to iPhone users, Apple confirmed Wednesday. By examining logs of push notifications sent by various apps, authorities can piece together surprisingly detailed information about smartphone users and their activities.
The previously undisclosed data gathering, which also affects Android devices, became public after Sen. Roy Wyden published an open letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Wednesday requesting disclosure of the surveillance method.
But these improvements will come at a price. Image: Apple
Apple reportedly plans to use upgraded microphones on the iPhone 16 series for a better Siri experience. The new mics might feature a better signal-to-noise ratio and improved water resistance.
The improved hardware likely would boost manufacturing costs for Apple. But a better Siri — fortified with artificial intelligence — could gives Apple’s reputation a boost when it comes to AI.
Don't sleep on a deal like this one. Photo: Samsung
If you’re ready to graduate from a 4K to a 5K external display but the high prices have held you back, here’s your chance. Right now you can take off the regular price of Samsung’s direct competitor to Studio Display — the 27-inch Samsung ViewFinity S9 monitor.
This beauty is going for $1,068.61. That’s 33% off its regular price, which is the same as Studio Display’s steep cost (about $1,600).
Both the MacBook Air in 13-inch and 15-inch versions are expected to get the Apple M3 chip soon. Photo: Apple
The Apple M3 processor will make its way to the MacBook Air line in March 2024, according to a trusted source of insider info. Both the 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the laptop will receive the chip upgrade.
The M3 made its debut in refreshed MacBook Pro and iMac models in October.
The men who flew harrowing bombing missions had a lot to do with defeating Germany in WWII. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ dropped a devastating payload of aerial warfare in its new trailer Wednesday for the upcoming World War II drama series Masters of the Air.
Piloted by the team behind WWII series Band of Brothers and The Pacific, the new series dramatizes the U.S. Army Air Force’s role in helping defeat Germany through bombing. It premieres on Apple TV+ January 26.
The largest iPad Air yet is on the way. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The long wait for fresh iPads will reportedly come to an end in March 2024. The first 12.9-inch iPad Air will launch then, according a reliable Apple tipster, as will the much-anticipated iPad Pro with an OLED screen.
In addition, new versions of Apple Pencil and the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad will also be unveiled at the same time.
Curved ultra-wide gaming displays have been making their way into Mac setups for quite some time now. But some people want to experiment, maybe push the envelope a bit, so they mount them on top of other displays or sometimes in portrait mode (vertical). But today’s Mac Pro setup takes the cake in that regard.
The user nixed a Studio Display with a high-quality external webam in favor of a truly massive, 55-inch curved ultra-wide Samsung gaming display — mounted vertically. It towers over everything with a pronounced stoop.
Add more award nominations to the huge pile already earned by "The Morning Show." Photo: Apple
No show got more nominations in the 29th annual Critics Choice Awards than The Morning Show, one of the premier offerings on Apple TV+. There are six noms, with stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon both up for best actress in a drama series.
And Lessons in Chemistry and Shrinking also added significantly to the 16 total Apple TV+ nominations in six categories.