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News - page 105

MagEasy iPhone 14 cases go for glamour and toughness

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MagEasy glams it up a bit with one of its new iPhone 14 cases.
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.

You can see the whole MagEasy iPhone 14 collection in the Cult of Mac Store. And they’re on sale now!

Slow Horses gallops onto list of most popular streaming shows

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The gang of third-string MI5 agents from Slough House are back for season 2.
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.

2024 will bring major upgrades to iPads and Macs [The CultCast]

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iPad-upgrades-2024-CultCast-episode 624
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.

Here’s our holiday buying guide for iPhone, iPad and AirPods [Video]

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Holiday Buying Guide
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?

We have a helpful new video that will explain the differences between various iPhone, iPad and AirPods models. Plus, we published detailed written buying guides for your convenience.

Apple VP of iPhone and Apple Watch design is leaving the company

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iPhone 15 and 15 Plus review: Pro features for less
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.

Get festive with holiday desktop wallpaper [Setups]

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Desktop wallpaper with holiday themes in iMac setup
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!

Last chance to win a 3-in-1 MagSafe travel charger from mophie [Cult of Mac Giveaway]

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This mophie 3-in-1 travel charger is perfect for travelers with multiple Apple gadgets.
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.

$4 Steve Jobs check sells for $46,000 [Updated]

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$4 Steve Jobs check from the earliest days of Apple
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?

New budget iPad coming in late 2024 from Vietnam

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iPad in use
iPad 11 is coming, but not soon.
Photo: Apple

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.

iOS 17.2 will bring NameDrop-like sharing for passes

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The new iOS 17 AirPlay feature called NameDrop will help you easily share your contact info and more.
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 warns of dire threats to unencrypted cloud data

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Apple security lock logo
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.”

Connect Mac or iPad to high-res monitor with new USB/HDMI adapter from Satechi

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Satechi USB-C to HDMI 2.1 8K Adapter and Cable
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.

Apple TV+ sets countdown for space psycho-thriller series Constellation

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Psycho-thrilller series
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.

Mount iPad anywhere with this sleek magnetic pad

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Any sealed surface will take Xvida's mounting pad to magnetically hold your iPad.
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.

Apple confirms ‘push notification spying’ by government agencies [Updated]

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A red-tinted image of a hand holding an iPhone, meant to depict push notification spying.
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.

iPhone 16’s superior microphones could help deliver better AI-powered Siri experience

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Apple’s AI-driven voice-controlled digital assistant Siri
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.

Amazon lops $531 off Samsung’s 5K ViewFinity display

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Samsung ViewFinity S9 5K monitor
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).

MacBook Air gets speedy M3 chip in spring 2024

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M2 MacBook Air comes i 13-inch and 15-inch versions
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.

Masters of the Air trailer blazes across WWII’s hellish war in the sky

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Masters of the Air trailer
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.

12.9-inch iPad Air, OLED iPad Pro pegged for March release

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iPad Air and iPad Pro
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.

You won’t see a vertical display more nuts than this one [Setups]

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Mac Pro setup with 55-inch curved Samsung display in portrait mode
Can you imagine working on that screen?
Photo: [email protected]

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.

The Morning Show leads the pack in Critics Choice TV awards nominations

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'The Morning Show' season 3 on Apple TV+
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.