The Apple Self Service Repair program will soon expand to include the iPhone 14 series as well as MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models released in 2022.
The program provides customers access to parts and tools they need to fix their own devices.
Apple finally plans to make playing music from third-party sources easier on HomePods. Starting with iOS 17, you can ask Siri to play music on your HomePod from music apps installed on your iPhone.
Despite Apple providing the necessary apps, only a handful of music streaming services natively support HomePod. This change from Apple in iOS 17 is an excellent workaround to this problem.
A high-level Apple exec recently answered a question that bugs many Apple Watch users: Why aren’t third-party watch faces allowed?
It comes down to the company not allowing the wearable’s all-important home screen to be replaced by a non-Apple alternative that might not prove as reliable.
The European Parliament passed sweeping legislation last week intended to make recycling batteries easier. The new rules will require Apple to redesign iPhone and iPad so their batteries can be replaced by users. (Android devices will face the same mandate.)
This will be the second major hardware change to Apple products to result from EU legislation. iPhones soon will come with a USB-C port in place of Lightning because of a European requirement.
Apple’s big and bulky Apple Watch Ultra is available with massive discounts of up to $69. The latest Amazon deal on the smartwatch knocks its price down to as low as $729.
Amazon offers a $50 discount on the listing page, with an additional $20 off automatically applied at checkout.
Today’s featured computer setup sports something we don’t see often — multiple stations for different uses. And its colossal 65-inch smart TV, used as a computer display as well as a home theater screen, is pretty unusual, too.
Check it out and peruse the gear list below.
It’s not too late to snag deals on Apple accessories for your dad — or for yourself — in the Cult of Mac Store’s Father’s Day Sale, which runs through Monday. You can find discounts of up to 15% off on 140 products from Elkson, Just Mobile, Laut, Mifa, Rilee & Lo and Speidel. It’s quite a selection.
See some highlights below and others here, and check out the whole Father’s Day Savings Collection!
Apple could switch to a more powerful Ultra Wideband chip on the iPhone 15. And for its 2024 iPhones, the company could adopt the newer and faster Wi-Fi 7 standard.
These hardware upgrades will seemingly allow Apple to build a more competitive ecosystem for its upcoming Vision Pro headset.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The M2 Ultra chip gives the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro incredible powers, the first benchmarks show. And the new 15-inch MacBook Air doesn’t look too shabby, either. In fact, it seems like the ultimate Mac laptop for most people.
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.
Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air has received the teardown treatment less than a week after going on sale. The internals reveals the laptop is similar to its 13-inch sibling, with two additional speakers and the larger battery being the only significant difference.
Thanks to the larger chassis, Apple has also managed to fit a bigger battery on the 15-inch Air.
If you travel around the world, this Ugreen 65W GaN travel charger could become your best companion. Its powerful output and universal plugs will let you keep your MacBook, iPhone and other Apple gear juiced up practically anywhere you roam.
The Ugreen 65W Nexode GaN Charger packs two USB-C ports along with one USB-A port, making it easy to charge multiple devices simultaneously. Plus, its switchable plugs make it effortless for use when traveling in the United States and Europe. It retails for just $55.99, but you could snag one for free in this week’s giveaway.
While most people know iFixit for its brilliant teardown videos of Apple gear, its primary business is selling repair tools and other accessories. And that now includes a new 65W wall charger with a 6-foot cable.
As one might expect from a company known for looking inside devices, part of the housing for the new iFixit Fast Charger USB-C AC Adapter is transparent, showing off the internal components.
Using Apple’s Find My network, the new AirCard from Swiss company Rolling Square can slip into your wallet like a credit card and help keep track of it. But it’s not just a tracker.
“AirCard is the first card-sized tracker in the world with a digital business card,” the company said. Its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign has far-surpassed its goal with six days to go, so it’s likely the cards will ship.
If you or your dad have any need of accessories for Apple products, don’t miss the Father’s Day Sale going on now through Monday in the Cult of Mac Store. You can find discounts of up to 15% off on 140 products from Elkson, Just Mobile, Laut, Mifa, Rilee & Lo and Speidel. It’s quite a selection.
See some highlights below and check out the Father’s Day Savings collection!
If a dragon had jet engines you’d have Jet Dragon, a flying, racing game that requires plenty of strategy to make a winning team.
The app debuted Friday on Apple’s gaming service, and is playable on iPhone, Mac and more.
Amazon bargain site Woot! launched a new sale on Apple gear Friday. This time the deals cover iMacs, MacBooks and Studio Displays.
The sale ends late Monday night Pacific time, so act fast if you want to score some of these deals on new and refurbished gear.
Getting a complex computer setup just-so can be a daunting experience for even seasoned users. Maybe somebody should create a diagram or something? Well, someone did, making a highly capable MacBook Pro-and-PC setup with external display, storage, audio and more look even more complicated than it really is.
The sleekly executed diagram delighted viewers on social media. Check it out below.
Apple is bringing Lockdown Mode to the Apple Watch with watchOS 10. The “extreme” protection security measure debuted on the iPhone and Mac with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura in 2022.
Designed for individuals at high risk of cyberattacks and malware, the mode imposes several restrictions on your Apple Watch’s functionality.
The latest Apple retail store opened its doors Thursday in London’s iconic Battersea Power Station. Shoppers lined up to see the new location, and the Macs and iPhones may have been overwhelmed by the architecture.
Camera shutters were clicking. Check out some of the many images shared of the gorgeous new store, Apple’s 40th in the United Kingdom.
Anker’s Soundcore brand offers competitive noise-cancelling wireless earbuds, including Liberty 4, released in fall 2022. Now it plans to roll out its “all-new best noise-cancelling earbuds,” Liberty 4 NC, for a surprisingly low $100 (with an early-bird offer to pay just $80).
And the new buds claim an impressive 60 hours of battery life, too. Top features and low pricing like that might make Apple nervous over its AirPods line of earbuds.
Apple CEO Tim Cook took a moment to congratulate a man who wrote to him and tweeted an inspiring story of using Apple Watch and Fitness+ to lose more than 100 pounds over several months.
Nate Gorby told his story in his tweet, below, saying Apple’s tools changed his life. Cook’s direct reply was just one of many responses.
What if, instead of saying “Hey Siri” to activate your HomePod, you only had to glance at it? Apple is considering this possibility, and recently filed for a patent on it.
Whether this will become part of a future Apple smart speaker depends on whether it’s actually better than the current activation system.
Within days of its launch, the 15-inch MacBook Air is available with a $100 discount on Amazon. This makes the laptop even more amazing and almost a no-brainer.
Thanks to the deal, you can get the 15-inch MacBook Air for $1,199. That’s just $100 more than its 13-inch sibling.
BenQ, known for desktop monitors and accessories, unveiled its new treVolo U Desktop Dialogue Speaker Tuesday. Say what? A “dialogue speaker?”
Yes, and it uses special technology “designed to reinvent your digital life, offering exceptional audio for online learning, remote working, podcast and audiobook listening,” the company said.
Apple TV+ announced a season two renewal for Silo, the dystopian sci-fi mystery currently streaming on the service.
The decision doesn’t come as much of a surprise: the series is a huge hit.