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Is Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad too heavy? [Setups]

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A big Samsung smart TV dominates this Mac Studio rig.
A big Samsung smart TV dominates this Mac Studio rig.
Photo: [email protected]

We look at a lot of computer setups on social media, but sometimes what drives conversation among commenters surprises us. With today’s Mac Studio rig with an odd couple of mismatched displays, the main debate concerned … keyboards for iPad.

Specifically, when an iPad is so wonderfully light, what keyboard case doesn’t weight it down too much?

Latest HyperDrive USB-C portable docking station adds dual 4K plus 8 high-speed ports

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HyperDrive Next 10 Port Business Class USB-C Dock
The HyperDrive Next 10 Port Business Class USB-C Dock is designed to be used in the office or on the go.
Photo: Hyper

The just-launched HyperDrive Next 10 Port Business Class USB-C Dock can handle dual 4K monitors, and it offers multiple 10Gbps USB ports and a detachable USB-C cable.

It’s part of the new HyperDrive Next collection, which also includes a range of USB-C hubs plus an NVMe SSD enclosure with data transfer speeds up to 40Gbps.

Indie dev Casey Liss on how he came to love SwiftUI [Planet of the Apps]

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Casey Liss and Callsheet
Casey Liss, developer of a new app, Callsheet, that makes looking up movie and show trivia trivially easy.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Pro tip bug Planet of the Apps is a series of interviews with app developers about making, marketing and maintaining apps in the App Store.

Indie developer and podcaster Casey Liss used to hate SwiftUI, Apple’s controversial UI toolkit for crafting apps. A lot of developers have a deep and abiding animus for SwiftUI, including Liss himself. But after using SwiftUI to create his latest app Callsheet, a movie and TV database app, he’s now a huge fan.

“So much of SwiftUI, I love,” he said in a wide-ranging and surprisingly-interesting interview. “I went from nothing to a fully functional app … in the span of a couple of weeks… It was stunningly fast.”

Here are all the M3 Macs in development

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Here are the M3-powered Macs expected in fall 2023
A new M3 Mac with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU has been spotted in developer logs.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is working on a slew of M3-powered Macs for late 2023 and 2024, and the latest mystery machine spotted on developers’ logs appears to be a new Mac mini.

The M3 chip, the next-gen Apple silicon that will power these Macs, should be based on the 3nm node, offering superior performance and efficiency.

The latest AirTag and Apple Watch rumors make us giddy [The CultCast]

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An Apple AirTag and an Apple Watch Ultra: We're talking the latest Apple rumors on The CultCast, episode 606.
AirTags with new functionality and Apple Watches in new colors sound good to us.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Which gets you more excited, an AirTag with new AR capabilities, a pink Apple Watch or a black titanium Apple Watch Ultra? This week’s top Apple rumors fuel our imaginations …

Also on The CultCast:

  • Apple touts 1 billion paid subscribers, a gigantic number that pushed the company to record-high revenue for its services division last quarter.
  • Leander cooks up a cheap-and-dirty way to add CarPlay to any car, even an old beater. (Still can’t get him to come on the podcast, though, because … 👀.
  • Tim Cook finally plays the AI card as Apple tries to cash in on the latest tech buzzword.
  • Griffin proves he’s a total nerd the consummate tech collector by revealing what he uses an ancient Apple Newton for these days.

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.

Idris Elba might return for Hijack season 2

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Elba looks tense here for a reason. He's got big problems to solve.
Will there be more adventures for Sam Nelson (Idris Elba)?
Photo: Apple TV+

Now that Hijack has finished its run on Apple TV+, fans of the immensely popular limited series want to know if there’ll be a season two. One of the executive producers says, “I hope so.”

Star Idris Elba already said he’s open to the idea.

Save by buying refurb AirPods 3 straight from Apple

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Apple AirPods 3 Review
Save a nice chunk of money off the regular price by getting a refurbished pair of AirPods 3.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple began selling refurbished AirPods 3 wireless earbuds on Friday. Those willing to buy a previously-purchased unit save $30 off the regular cost.

At this time, the only refurb option from Apple is the version that comes with a MagSafe Charging Case.

MacBook Air pairs with Studio Display in creator rig [Setups]

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Wade said his setup is usually a total mess, but he cleaned it up for once.
Wade said his setup is usually a total mess, but he cleaned it up for once.
Photo: Wade B. TechDaily

It’s only natural that a user would clean up his computer setup to show it off to the world, and that’s exactly what TechDaily’s Wade B. did with his MacBook Air and Studio Display setup before sending it to us with a video.

“It’s really the first time I’ve ever had a desk that wasn’t a total disaster area,” he told Cult of Mac.

Slash $50 off power bank perfect for blackouts and camping

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Anker's portable power bank has a light and 60,000mAh battery capacity to charge your devices.
Anker's portable power bank has a light and 60,000mAh battery capacity to charge your devices.
Photo: Anker

You may not want to lug around a full-on generator for the occasional camping trip or brief power outage, but wouldn’t it be cool to have a powerful little one to provide light and keep your gadgets going?

That’s the Anker 548 Power Bank PowerCore Reserve Portable Charger. And you can get $50 off the regular price right now on Amazon.

iPhone 15 launch event reportedly will happen on September 13

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iPhone 15 Concept
Rumors indicate you should mark your calendar for September 13, possibly with a staggered iPhone 15 rollout to follow.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple could unveil the iPhone 15 lineup on September 13, with a staggered launch after that to avoid supply chain and logistics problems.

The company typically holds the launch event for new iPhones in the first or second week of September. So, this rumored date for the iPhone 15 announcement sounds totally plausible.

Tim Cook calls AI ‘absolutely critical’ to Apple products

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Apple's got AI inside.
Why doesn't Apple go on and on about the "AI revolution"? Because it's already baked-in to Apple products.
Image: Michael DziedzicUnsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

Apple has been conspicuously quiet about its plans for artificial intelligence, even as rivals like Google and Microsoft made headlines touting the latest tech buzzword. But CEO Tim Cook leaped to his company’s defense Thursday, pointing out that AI is already used by many Apple products.

And he also listed upcoming software and services that wouldn’t be possible without machine learning and AI.

1 billion subscribers push Apple’s services revenue to all-time high [Updated]

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Apple logo with
Apple says more than a billion paid subscriptions pushed services revenues to an all-time high last quarter.
Photo: Goran Bogicevic/Free Stock photos by Vecteezy

The number of people subscribing to Apple services passed the 1 billion mark during the company’s most recent financial quarter, allowing that segment of the company to bring in record revenue.

But total revenue decreased slightly during the June quarter, the third time that’s happened in a row. And the money coming in from all Apple’s hardware groups is down.

Would you buy Apple Watch 9 or Ultra 2 in these new colors?

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Apple Watch Ultra 2 may come with both plain and black titanium cases.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 may come with both plain and black titanium cases.
Photo: @ShrimpApplePro

You can expect a new color for Apple Watch Series 9 — pink — and a new black titanium case for the second-gen Apple Watch Ultra, according to a reliable leaker.

If Apple remains true to its usual scheduling, we should see both new items in September at an event unveiling the iPhone 15 lineup.

New MagSafe chargers bring fast fill-ups and cooling tech

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The 3-in-1 wireless charger juices up MagSafe iPhones, Apple Watch and AirPods.
The 3-in-1 wireless charger juices up MagSafe iPhones, Apple Watch and AirPods.
Photo: ESR

ESR unveiled two new MagSafe chargers Thursday. Its new 25-watt 3-in-1 Wireless Charger and 15-watt Car Charger follow last month’s launch of the 100W 6-in-1 Charging Station on Kickstarter.

All three feature “MagSafe + CryoBoost,” which we’ll get into below.

Get 13-inch M2 MacBook Air for $150 off in amazing back-to-school sale

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2022 MacBook Air with M2 processor
The perfect laptop for college going students is discounted by $150.
Photo: Apple

Need to buy a new laptop for your school or college before the sessions begin? There’s no better laptop for you than Apple’s M2 MacBook Air.

If you are ready to pull the trigger now, Best Buy is offering a sweet $150 off the machine. So, you can get the slim and powerful 13-inch Air for just $949.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Elon Musk wants Tim Cook to lower App Store fees for Twitter creators

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Elon Musk
Musk wants Apple to not charge its fees on the money X creators make.
Photo: NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affair/Wikipedia CC

Elon Musk wants creators on X to make more money. And for this, he plans to talk to Apple CEO Tim Cook about lowering the App Store fees for creators on Twitter X.

The billionaire wants Apple to only charge its 30% commission on the amount that X keeps, not the money a creator receives.

Wall Street feels meh about Apple earnings, looks to future

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meh.
Yawn.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is about to reveal the financial results of its most recent quarter, and Wall Street analysts are preparing for a whole lot of ho-hum. They’re predicting a very slight drop in revenue and earnings, during a traditionally slow time of the year for Apple sales.

That said, Apple has a habit of beating analysts’ predictions. So Thursday’s earnings call could be more upbeat than expected.

Apple TV+ courts college football with possible Pac-12 deal

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The deal is far from done, but Apple TV+ may pick up Pac-12 football games at some point.
The deal is far from done, but Apple TV+ may pick up Pac-12 football games at some point.
Photo: Pac-12

NCAA Pac-12 conference leaders saw an offer Tuesday from Apple TV+ for a streaming deal to replace the conference’s expiring TV contact for football games, a report noted.

After Apple’s deals to air Major League Soccer (MLS) and Major League Baseball (MLB) games, its potential entry into college football is intriguing — but it’s not a done deal yet.

Apple preps second-generation AirTag tracker with AR capabilities

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Car thieves can hide an AirTag somewhere on your car and track it for theft later.
An improved follow-up to the AirTag item tracker is in development.
Photo: York Regional Police

The Apple AirTag item tracker sells well enough that an updated version is in early development, according to a reputable analyst. And it might include the AR capabilities that were rumored years ago.

The tiny tracker has reportedly been selling by the millions since the product launch in 2021.

ChatGPT digs up major threat to Macs on dark web

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An attacker could take full control of your Mac to steal your personal and financial information.
An attacker could take full control of your Mac to steal your personal and financial information.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A security company recently asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT about Mac threats online and used the results to uncover some scary malware for sale from Russia on the dark web.

At a price of $60,000, it can give an attacker total control of someone’s Mac. A more damaging version is available for $80,000.

In any case, if the malware gets on your Mac, you won’t know it’s there, it’s very hard to get rid of, and it can steal a lot of your information. Luckily, you can probably avoid it.

Fab office remodel suits MacBook Pro and massive display [Setups]

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The accent wall and solid-wood DIY standing desk steal the show from the M2 MacBook Pro and 49-inch curved display.
The accent wall and solid-wood DIY standing desk steal the show from the M2 MacBook Pro and 49-inch curved display.
Photo: [email protected]

When you remodel your home office, isn’t that a great excuse to revamp the ol’ computer setup? That’s what happened with today’s featured rig, which relies on a new MacBook Pro and a Samsung super-ultra-wide display.

But all commenters wanted to talk about was the accent wall and the solid-wood DIY standing desk. And the killer Klipsch audio got some love, too.

Introvert Marcie takes center stage in new Peanuts trailer

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You remember Marcie, don't you? She's the smart, quiet one.
You remember Marcie, don't you? She's the smart, quiet one.
Photo: Apple

“Sometimes, the people who make the biggest difference aren’t the ones who grab the spotlight,” Apple TV+ said Wednesday, when it dropped a trailer for a new Peanuts special focusing on the introverted character Marcie and all the behind-the-scenes work she does.

Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie premieres Friday, August 18.

Here’s what I use my Apple Newton for in 2023

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A MessagePad with the optional keyboard and carrying case.
A MessagePad with the optional keyboard and carrying case.
Photo: Adam Tow

They say the early bird gets the worm. But the bird that’s too early spends an hour looking for worms in the middle of the night and has to give up after a while. That’s an apt summary of the Newton Messagepad, Apple’s handheld computer that launched on this day in 1993.

The Newton launched at a high price and with a somewhat limited feature set. As a result, it never found a strong enough customer base or a “killer app” to make it a must-have device.

But all these years later, I still found two good uses for my Newton MessagePad 2000.