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News - page 169

Extrapolations trailer looks ahead to a grim future

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'Extrapolations' trailer looks ahead to a grim future
Extrapolations will put a human face on climate change.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s star-studded limited series Extrapolations is set in a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into everyone’s everyday lives.

The trailer for the series gives a dark look at what the end of the century could look like.

Only loyal Apple customers can use Apple Pay Later

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iPhone using Apple Pay Later
Apple Pay Later: For the rest rich of us.
Image: Apple

In order to be approved for Apple Pay Later, the company’s own buy now, pay later service, individuals will need to be loyal Apple customers. The service has strict hoops you need to jump through: Apple will check your spending at Apple Stores, purchases and subscriptions on the App Store, Apple Cash payments, Apple Pay history and more.

Even if you work for Apple, you may only be approved for a $1,000 loan. The feature continues to undergo internal testing after being delayed since September, according to Bloomberg.

Rumored 15-inch MacBook Air could use M2 chip

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2022 MacBook Air with M2 processor
Apple's M2 chip might make its way into the 15.5-inch Air.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s rumored 15.5-inch MacBook Air could use the 5nm M2 chip. The same SoC powers the 2022 MacBook Air and the new Mac mini.

The Cupertino company has never released a MacBook Air with a display size larger than 13.6 inches.

Ends tonight: Score 20% off Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, organizers and more

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The Function 101 BentoStack organizer is a bento box for your Apple accessories.
The Function 101 BentoStack organizer is a bento box for your Apple accessories.
Photo: Function 101

“Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet,” goes an old Valentine’s Day saying. And what’s sweeter than saving a few bucks? (Not that your sweetheart has to know about that part when you give them a gift).

The Cult of Mac Store’s Valentine’s Day Sweet Savings sale goes through 11:59 p.m. PST on February 14. You can get 20% off an array of Apple accessories, including organizers, cable blocks and more from Function 101 and stylish stretch-link stainless steel Apple Watch bands and stacking bracelets from Rilee & Lo.

And you can score even bigger savings on iPhone cases and more from other brands.

New Geekbench 6 tests devices’ performance at cutting-edge tasks

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Primate Labs Geekbench 6
One of the best benchmarking applications has been updated for AR and AI tasks.
Photo: Primate Labs/Cult of Mac

Primate Labs introduced Geekbench 6 on Tuesday, the first significant update in years to a premier cross-platform benchmarking application.

The new version adds tests to check the performance of Macs, iPhones, iPads, Androids and PCs as they carry out new, cutting-edge tasks.

Snatch up these bargains on iMacs, MacBooks and iPads while they last

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You can get various versions of the 24-inch iMac, among other gear.
You can get various versions of the 24-inch iMac, among other gear.
Photo: Apple

Amazon-owned discount site Woot! is offering a slew of deals on iMacs, MacBooks and iPads through Thursday.

Some M1 laptops are already sold out, but a lot of gear remains, so jump on this if you’re in the market for Apple hardware. It’s the sort of sale that may make people wish they’d waited to buy instead of going all-in at launch.

Grab the Apple Watch Ultra at its lowest price ever

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If you have a tough timepiece like Apple Watch Ultra, you need a rugged band to go with it.
Save big on your Apple Watch Ultra purchase with this deal.
Photo: Apple

You can grab the Apple Watch Ultra with the Green Alpine Loop for a new low price of $729.99 from Amazon, saving $69.01 on your purchase.

A $50 discount will appear on the listing page, with the additional $19.01 off applied at checkout. Other variants of the watch are available with a more modest $50 discount.

iOS 16.3.1 breaks Google Photos for iPhone but a fix is out [Updated]

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iOS 16.3.1 update on iPhone with Google Photos logo on top
Google Photos app is crashing in iOS 16.3.1.
Photo: Ed Hardy and Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

Apple’s recently released iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1 update broke Google Photos. Users complain about being unable to open the app after updating their device to the latest software build.

Update: A new Google Photos update rolling out through the App Store fixes the crashing issue on iOS 16.3.1. If you have already updated your iPhone to the latest iOS release, grab the Google Photos update from the App Store to resolve the issue.

Apple goes on a bug hunt with iOS 16.3.1, macOS 13.2.1 and more updates

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Apple goes on a bug hunt with iOS 16.3.1, macOS 13.2.1 and more updates
iOS 16.3.1 is joined by macOS Ventura 13.2.1, iPadOS 16.3.1, watchOS 9.3.1 and tvOS 16.3.2.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There are bug fix updates for every type of Apple device out Monday, including Mac and iPhone. Safe to say, if it has an Apple operating system, there’s an update. Don’t go looking for new features though. These are bug fix updates, including tweaks to iCloud, Siri and Crash Detection.

Nevertheless, the new versions are recommended for all users.

What if your iPhone had Lightning and USB-C ports?

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Are two ports better than one?
Are two ports better than one?
Photo: @Hyphaistos3672

Cult of Mac has reported on how Apple will replace iPhone’s Lightning connector with USB-C soon enough — but what if Cupertino decided to go with both ports on future iPhones, like the 15 series?

One engineer appeared to explore the option, modding an iPhone 12 mini by adding a fully functional USB-C port next to the existing Lightning port.

15.5-inch MacBook Air could arrive in April

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2022 MacBook Air with M2 processor
The 2022 MacBook Air with M2 processor could soon be joined by a bigger brother.
Photo: Apple

A super-size MacBook Air is supposedly right around the corner. An analyst who’s built a solid reputation for accurately predicting Apple products says the next macOS notebook will be out in six weeks or so.

This will be the first time the thin and light line of notebooks has expanded past the current 13.6-inch screen.

iMac with Apple M2 upgrade looks unlikely

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24-inch iMac 2021 with Apple M1 processor. In blue and pink
The M1 iMac could stay in Apple's product lineup for three years.
Photo: Apple

There reportedly haven’t been any signs that a 24-inch iMac with an Apple M2 processor is on the way. And that means the next iMac upgrade might be as much as a year away.

That would leave users of the all-in-one Mac desktop waiting for a total of three years for a faster version.

Stunning Mac Pro rig sees massive audio upgrade [Setups]

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A pair of KEF LSX speakers on Kanto stands adds to this killer setup's high price tag.
A pair of KEF LSX speakers on Kanto stands adds to this killer setup's high price tag.
Photo: [email protected]

There’s nothing like a major upgrade. Today we return to one of the most magnificent computer setups we’ve seen lately, as it somehow found a way to top itself. When you’ve already got a loaded Mac Pro, two Pro Display XDRs and a top Apple laptop and tablet, where do you go from there?

You thank the HomePod mini for its service and welcome new $1,250 speakers to the party.

Apple refuses to give up on iPhone hardware subscription service

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iPhone 14 Plus vs. iPhone 14
Multiple Apple financial services efforts have hit engineering hurdles.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple continues working on its long-rumored iPhone hardware subscription service despite hitting several roadblocks. The service was first rumored to launch in late 2022.

With a subscription service, Apple will allow customers to get the latest iPhone by paying a monthly fee. This would save them from shelling out the total device cost upfront.

Shrinking is the biggest hit on Apple TV+ since Severance and Black Bird

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'Shrinking' is a big hit for Apple TV+.
An Apple TV+ show starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford is drawing plenty of viewers.
Image: Apple TV+

The new comedy Shrinking has become a standout success for Apple TV+, according to two audience-tracking companies. The last new shows on the streaming service to attract so much attention were Black Bird and Severance. Not that the three series have much in common, besides being able to pull in large numbers of viewers.

Shrinking, which stars Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, is about a therapist who throws out the rulebook and tells his clients what he really thinks they should do.

iPhone Ultra? Take our money now! [The CultCast]

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Concept art shows what the iPhone Ultra might look like in a promo image for The CultCast, Cult of Mac's weekly Apple podcast.
If the "iPhone Ultra" looks like this, we're in. (Or at least one of us is.)
Concept art: Jonas Daehnert

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple’s squinty supreme leader Tim Cook sees room to push the high end of the iPhone market, and you know what that means … iPhone Ultra incoming! We know at least one feature this thing will pack — a big, fat titanium price tag.

Also on The CultCast:

  • A cool mockup shows what that rumored iPhone Ultra might look like.
  • We could get reverse wireless charging on iPhones after all.
  • Insiders explain the messy breakup between Apple and Intel (and reveal the best time to buy a Mac … sorta).

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.

Our sponsors: Lectric eBikes and CultCloth

  • The Lectric XP 3.0 electric bike will take you up to 45 miles — and up to 28 miles per hour! Get out there and find adventure with Lectric eBikes!
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Take up rocket-powered water racing in Riptide GP: Renegade+

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Take up rocket-powered water racing in 'Riptide GP: Renegade+'
Don't go street racing, try hydrojet racing instead.
Screenshot: Vector Unit

Nothing gets the heart pumping like a good racing game. Riptide GP: Renegade+ challenges players to try hydrojet racing at breakneck speeds, alone or in groups of up to eight.

The game from Vector Unit first debuted several years ago, and was named an App Store Best of 2016. Starting Friday, it’s included with the Apple Arcade subscriptions service for iPhone and other Apple devices.

Bare-bones mobile workstation is ready for anything, anywhere [Setups]

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At home or in a fast-food joint, work is getting done.
At home or in a fast-food joint, work is getting done.
Photo: [email protected]

Sure, you only need a MacBook Air or Pro to get things done almost anywhere. Or maybe an iPad with a stand and keyboard. But if you want to be more comfortable (and productive), wouldn’t you want a fuller computer setup? Today’s incredibly spare featured setup gets the job done.

The user is a journalist who takes their work on the road, like the fast-food joint in the photo above. They use just an M1 MacBook Air on a stand, a mini mechanical wireless keyboard and mouse, and sometimes a clamp-on light and iPhone mount to handle quality video calls via Continuity Camera.

M1 iPad Pro and iPad mini 6 hit Apple’s refurbished store

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iPad Pro 2022 Back View
Go the refurbished route and save big on the M1 iPad Pro and iPad mini 6.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple has started selling refurbished iPad mini 6 and M1 iPad Pro models through its Certified Refurbished store in the US. Both these tablets launched in 2021.

Depending on the iPad you want, you can save up to $320 by buying a refurbished unit.

Classic puzzle adventure Myst makes the jump to iPhone and iPad

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'Myst Mobile' brings a classic from 30 years ago to iPhone and iPad
Myst's graphics were spectacular in 1993, and are still beautiful today.
Photo: Cyan

The best-selling PC game of the 20th century has been reborn as Myst Mobile. Anyone who wants to relive the classic, or play an amazing game for the first time, can install it on iPhone and iPad and start playing for free.

This isn’t a knockoff. Cyan, the developer of the original, calls its new version “the definitive mobile port.”

HomePod 2 teardown reveals it’s far easier to repair than the original

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HomePod 2 teardown reveals it's far easier to repair than the original
Disassembling a HomePod 2 requires a screwdriver, not a saw.
Screenshot: iFixit/Creative Electron

A teardown video from iFixit shows that getting into the recently launched HomePod 2 is dramatically easier than opening up its predecessor. That’s going to make repairing the new smart speaker far simpler.

The video is an interesting deep dive for anyone who just wants a glimpse inside the latest HomePod.