This weekend, March 16 and 17, everyone can watch all Major League Soccer matches for free on the Apple TV app. So that’s not just the typical one or two free games.
In other words, you won’t need MLS Season Pass to watch Lionel Messi do his thing with Inter Miami CF against D.C. United — or any of the other 13 matches.
This is the kind of promotion designed to get you hooked so you subscribe to MLS Season Pass, in this second year of 10 in the deal between MLS and Apple.
Privacy-preserving URL protection and beefed-up password protection are coming to Google Safe Browsing for the popular Chrome browser for macOS and iOS, Google said Thursday. The Chrome security update comes to Macs, iPhones and iPads first. Android devices will see them later in March.
Want a laptop that can easily handle your demanding video editing or data processing workflow? The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max should be your top choice.
Find the laptop’s $3,499 price tag steep? Amazon is knocking $250 off the M3 Max MacBook Pro, making it a little more affordable.
The new Apple Sports iPhone app just received its first big update. It’s now ready for basketball’s March Madness and baseball’s Opening Day.
The free sports app that debuted in February gives fans access to real-time scores, stats and more for their favorite teams across a wide range of sports leagues.
Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro is only available in the US right now. But this could change soon, with the company purportedly preparing to launch the headset in nine new countries.
As a part of the AR headset’s international expansion, Vision Pro’s virtual keyboard will gain support for 12 new languages.
Baseus’ new Blade 2 Ultra-Thin 65W Laptop Power Bank provides enough portable power to keep MacBooks and other devices going. It also adds some interesting advanced features designed to make it even more useful.
The 65-watt, 12,000mAh power bank, released Monday, includes a charge information display and offers intelligent app control. Plus, it can charge two devices at once. If you’re looking for a reliable Baseus power bank, this model is an excellent option.
Bonus: For a limited time, the super-slender power bank is available at 30% off with promo code 30OFFBLADE, which drops the Blade 2 price to just $69.99.
Vision Pro demonstrated its healthcare chops recently, assisting a surgical team operating on a patient’s spine in the U.K., reports indicated. It marked the first Vision pro surgery in Europe and one of the first worldwide, undoubtedly.
Because a nurse assisting the surgeons wore the device, they could efficiently help prepare for and track the procedure.
Is bigger always better? Nope. And the debate rages on over how big an OLED smart TV display should be to best-suit a computer setup. Would you go large at over 50 inches, or stick to, say, 42 inches or smaller?
Today’s MacBook Pro setup raised the issue again, surfacing some sensible advice. And the smart TV in question is on sale!
The list of comedies on Apple TV+ will expand with the addition of one starring Owen Wilson as a washed-up golf pro stepping up to coach a teen in the sport.
The series — which does not yet bear a name — seems to have a lot in common with Ted Lasso, another sports-themed comedy that was an enormous success for Apple TV+.
Apple will soon debut the M3 iPad Pros with OLED screens, but perhaps not as soon as many had hoped. And a new leak indicates the smaller 11.1-inch model could be in short supply at launch.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro apparently won’t have any supply issues.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Vision is a version of Apple’s premier handset modified so it matches the look of the Vision Pro AR headset. It’s from Dubai-based Caviar, and is actually a beautiful option for someone who uses both devices.
But buyers will need deep pockets. The modification adds tremendously to the cost of the iPhone.
And you have to see Caviar’s crazy mod that turns a Samsung S24 Ultra into a Tesla Cybertruck. Both creations are part of Caviar’s Future collection, designed to reflect “the most prominent futuristic hits,” according to the company.
EU developers can forgo the App Store entirely and distribute their apps directly to iPhone users from their own websites, Apple said Tuesday. This is a significant reversal from Apple’s original rules, which required devs that wanted to skip the official App Store to place iPhone software in third-party software marketplaces.
In another major change, Apple also will allow EU developers to create app marketplaces that sell only their own software.
Powerful new health and wellness apps take advantage of visionOS’s “infinite canvas” to use spatial experiences to improve patient outcomes in clinical settings and at home, Apple said Monday. It seems that Vision Pro health apps are changing medical care.
“We’re thrilled to see the incredible apps that developers across the healthcare community are bringing to Apple Vision Pro,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “The imagination and drive of our developers, combined with the technical capabilities of visionOS, are igniting new possibilities for physicians, frontline workers, and even students, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come.”
AirPods Pro might be able to act more like a hearing aid with the release of iOS 18, according to an Apple tipster.
The additional audio function would benefit those with slight hearing loss who aren’t ready for more serious hearing assistance.
Pimping out a computer setup with vintage gear is super-cool, even if the old stuff doesn’t get much use (or is solely for display purposes). Today’s M1 MacBook Pro setup recently added a new Studio Display, and both of those modern machines bask in the glory of a nearby classic Macintosh SE from the 1980s.
The ancient all-in-one computer still works and it even gets some use.
No Apple TV+ film won an Academy Award on Sunday, despite 10 nominations for Martin Scorsese’s historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon — including Best Picture — and three for Ridley Scott’s historical epic Napoleon.
Despite the final results, Apple made it clear that it is honored to be nominated. And both films have drawn large audiences since they debuted on Apple’s streaming service.
Apple fixed the slow storage speed that plagued M2 Macs on the M3 MacBook Air. Early testing indicates the entry-level M3 MacBook Air delivers significantly faster read/write speeds than its predecessor.
The slow SSD transfer speed only affected entry-level M2 Macs due to them using a single-chip NAND.
Anyone criticizing Apple Vision Pro as a Meta Quest at seven times the price misses the profound difference between the two headsets. Apple made an augmented reality device, while Meta focused on virtual reality.
And the basic distinction between the two is that AR is the future of computing while VR will always be much more limited.
Both Apple and Meta seem to realize this, which is why their devices support AR and VR. The difference comes down to which one the rivals focus on, and that’s where Apple has the advantage.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Surprise! Apple drops new MacBook Airs with M3 chips inside. The new laptops’ specs and first benchmarks make the performance boost sound quite impressive indeed. But what should we expect next for the MacBook, and when should we expect it?
Join us for a titillating conversation about the current state (and future) of Apple’s laptops.
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.
Add Constellation to the lengthy list of Apple TV+ shows that are standout hits. The new sci-fi mystery horror series sits near the top of the popularity charts of two different ratings services, and has ever since its February premiere.
Masters of the Air remains popular, too. As do the historical dramas Napoleon and Killers of the Flower Moon. That puts all four of these series/films ahead of almost all the content on any streaming service.
Epic Games can release Fortnite in the EU and open an App Store rival after Apple restored the company’s developer account. This came as the European Commission was starting an inquiry into why the account had been cancelled.
Apple called Epic Games “untrustworthy” when it pulled the account.
New generative AI features are expected to be a highlight of iOS 18, and a skilled artist created a concept video that presents an early look at how they might work.
The video also shows other suggested upgrades, like bringing Split View — Apple’s multitasking feature that lets two apps appear side by side on iPad (and Mac) — to the iPhone.
With Apple expected to release new iPad models anytime now, Amazon bargain site offers a doozy of a deal on the still-awesome 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro: $389 off. Getting almost $400 off iPad Pro is not a deal we see every day.
“iHad an iPad but iLost it and now iSad,” Woot says at the top of the sale page. No need to be sad when you can bag a fantastic, brand-new, full-sized M1 iPad with 128GB of storage for just $809.99.
If you’re going to make and manipulate music or other sound with your Mac setup, odds are you need a good audio interface. Today’s Mac Studio workstation relies on a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB audio interface when the user makes YouTube videos, for example.
Check it out below, along with the rest of the setup’s gear.
Apple reportedly ordered 8.5 million OLED screens for the iPad Pro models it’s expected to launch soon. More of these panels are for the 13-inch version of the tablet than they are for the 11-inch one.
Leaks indicate the next generation iPad Pro will reach store shelves later this month. Possibly even next week.