At $399, the iPad mini 6 provides a lot more value for money. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Apple’s 2021 iPad mini is down to $399.99 on Amazon, a sweet $100 discount off its usual retail price. You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular variant with a similar $100 off.
Featuring an A15 Bionic chip and an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple’s smallest iPad can be your perfect travel companion.
The July launch of the M2 MacBook Air helped propel Apple's to new heights in notebook shipments. Photo: Apple
Apple shipped a record number of MacBooks during the September quarter, a whopping 26% increase over the same period of 2021, according to a market-analysis firm. That’s more than the company has ever shipped in a single quarter.
At the same time, Windows notebook-makers saw their shipments decline.
Foxconn is Apple's biggest contract manufacturer. Photo: Puddingworld, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
Days after reports of Foxconn employees hopping fences and fleeing from their jobs, a report late Wednesday from Taiwan News says Apple’s biggest iPhone factory is now on “total lockdown.” These new restrictions may have a big impact on Apple’s sales during the crucial holiday period.
Foxconn, whom Apple contracts to manufacture the lion’s share of iPhones, Macs and other Apple products, has had employees stay in on-site dormitories in a “closed-loop system” to prevent COVID outbreaks. Employees have been complaining about the “increasingly unsafe and inhumane working conditions” of the dorms.
"Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me" comes with a free trial of Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me premiers Friday on Apple TV+, and to be sure her fans can watch it, Apple is offering a free two-month trial of its streaming video service.
iPhone users in India don't have to wait much longer for 5G. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
5G service launched in India in October, but no iPhone supports the high-speed wireless networking standard… yet. Apple plans to change that in December.
And those who are part of the iOS beta program can get access even earlier.
Put the iPad 10 in a very protective case before handing it to child, like this one from OtterBox. Photo: OtterBox
The just-released iPad 10 is a major update, but the design changes mean new cases are required. Fortunately, accessory makers OtterBox and Logitech quickly brought out several of them for designed with children in mind.
T-Mobile turns November 3 into April Fools Day with a hot-purple suitcase-charger. Photo: T-Mobile
We had to check the calendar to see if it was April 1 when T-Mobile’s press release showed up. “Introducing the Un-carrier On from T-Mobile – the Smartest, Flyest Carry-On Ever,” it said, pushing a new carry-on bag the cellular carrier said is the only one on the market with wireless charging.
The suitcase, produced in partnership with Samsara Luggage, is awkwardly named the “Un-carrier On” and comes in one color: magenta. A big part of T-Mobile’s brand, that color is also the name of one of its membership plans.
Qualcomm is a vital supplier for Apple until the latter's in-house 5G modem is ready. Photo: Qualcomm
Apple’s plans of using its in-house modem starting from the iPhone 15 in 2023 are unlikely to pan out. Qualcomm will continue to supply the Cupertino company with the “vast majority” of iPhone modems next year.
The San Diego chipmaker expects Apple to shift to its in-house modem by 2024 at the earliest. It had previously expected to supply the iPhone maker with only 20% of modem chips in 2023.
The folks at Halide have published their thorough review of the iPhone 14 Pro camera system. Photo: Apple, D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
It’s taken a while to fully unpack and understand the technical improvements to the cameras in the iPhone 14 Pro. Camera nerd Sebastiaan de With, co-founder and designer of the highly-respected Halide camera app, has written a detailed review of the improvements to the camera system.
His professional opinion? These are not just great iPhone cameras, they’re great cameras, period.
We bet you're wondering where she got that Apple Watch band. Photo: Cult of Mac Store
At the end of the day, it seems like there are only so many types of Apple Watch bands. Leather. Stainless steel. Nylon. But what about something cool and cosmopolitan you don’t see everywhere? We think we found just the thing.
Goldenerre is known for some pretty glamorous accessories, and its Leather Link Apple Watch Band is an interesting option. It hand-wrapped leather links alternate with gleaming metallic ones for an exciting look. Check it out below and in the Cult of Mac Store.
Production is officially underway for Severance season 2 on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Fans of the hit Apple TV+ series Severance can rejoice that production on season 2 started this week. More of what Stephen Colbert called a “dystopian workplace sci-fi mystery black comedy psychological thriller” is on the way.
Upcoming episodes of the Emmy-winning – and very creepy – series will feature the original stars as well as eight new ones.
Coding can be a rewarding career, but not if you don't ever get started. Devs have some suggestions to help. Inage: Apple
Creating iPhone and Mac apps can be a rewarding career, both financially and by doing something you enjoy. But some people find it hard to get started. Developers who’ve made the jump into coding point out that you can make your hobby into your career, it’s never too late, and more tips.
Anyone one considering becoming a dev might benefit from their advice.
This person mounts a portable monitor on their laptop keyboard and uses a 27-inch gaming display, too. Photo: [email protected]
We love it when a computer setup we’ve looked at before gets a facelift, or some sort of significant update. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup stuck with the laptop, an interesting usage of a portable display and a highly unusual mechanical keyboard. But it added a beautiful gaming monitor, a rarely seen vertical mouse and some other details.
And of course it kept its beloved Lego Wall-E. And it even found a practical use for extra Lego bricks.
Elago's W5 Apple Watch Stand is a blast from the past. Photo: Elago
Elago is known for its fun and interesting stands and cases, often in a retro vein. If you’re in need of Apple accessories along those lines — or along any lines, really — you should check out the big Halloween Sale in the Cult of Mac Store. It ends today (Tuesday, November 1).
The three Elago items below, for example, are all offered at 15% off regular prices.
Rewind: Find anything you’ve seen, said, or heard. Image: Rewind AI, Inc.
Rewind is a Mac app coming soon that promises to create a searchable, rewindable index of everything you read online, write in conversation, work on or even say in meetings.
We’ve all had this happen: you remember seeing something that you want to share, but you don’t remember where you saw it nor enough details to find it on the internet. Rewind promises to make everything that you’ve “seen, said or heard” searchable.
"Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock" on Apple TV+ is up for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing Series. Photo: Apple TV+
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences named the nominees for the new Children’s & Family Emmys on Monday, and Apple TV+ earned 17 nominations. That includes shows in two of the top categories.
While Apple is in there swinging, the real competition will be between Disney and Netflix, both of which earned dozens of nominations.
Elkson bumper cases cover a range of Apple Watch series and sizes. Photo: Elkson
Most people at least consider protecting their iPhone with a case, but not everyone thinks to protect their Apple Watch that way — even though the wearable is arguably the more-fragile device. Good thing Elkson offers the rugged Quattro Bumper Case for Apple Watch.
This wired mechanical keyboard can be easily modified in multiple ways. Photo: Cooler Master
California peripherals specialist Cooler Master just updated its popular 65%-format mechanical keyboard (CK721) to create the company’s first fully customizable board, the wired CK720. You can swap out its switches without a soldering iron to easily get the typing feel and sound you like best.
“We’re huge fans of custom-built mechanical keyboards ourselves, so we wanted to make sure the CK720 is a great steppingstone into the hobby,” said Dennis Liu, Cooler Master’s peripheral general manager, in a press release. “Whether you like smooth linear switches with maximum thock, or a sharp tactile typing feel with a marbly sound, the CK720 has the ability to achieve it.”
Mifa's glamorous Sparkle band comes in silver or rose gold options. Photo: Mifa
The Halloween Sale in the Cult of Mac Store has something for everyone. Even within specific accessory types by one brand, you find choice. Take Mifa’s Apple Watch bands, for example. Today’s your last day to get 10% off in the week-long sale.
You can glam up your Apple Watch considerably with the Sparkle Bracelet, which looks like a million bucks. Or you can go with the ultimate classic strap with a Classic Leather band.
You can save up to $150 on the M2 MacBook Air by buying a certified refurbished unit from Apple. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Announced at WWDC22 in June, Apple has now started selling refurbished units of the M2 MacBook Air in the US. You can pick up selected Air variants from Apple’s Certified Refurbished store and save up to 15%.
Depending on the model, you can save up to $150 on the 2022 MacBook Air by buying a refurbished unit from Apple.
iPhone SE 4 might look much like the iPhone XR, but Apple is also considering other designs. Photo: Apple
Apple is reportedly sticking with a two-year replacement cycle on its budget handset line. That means the iPhone SE 4 won’t be out until 2024, according to a reliable source.
The launch is apparently far enough away that Apple hasn’t settled on a final design.
The design isn't Apple's newest, but the processor is. Photo: Apple
The 13.3-inch M2 MacBook Pro is down to $ 1,149 on Amazon after a massive $150 discount. You can get the 512GB configuration with a slightly lower $100 discount.
Announced at WWDC22, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has been frequently discounted by $100-$150 since its launch.
Kids' sci-fi series "Circuit Breakers" premieres on Apple TV+ November 11. Photo: Apple TV+
If you were a kid, wouldn’t you like to use a remote control to just “turn off” your parents for a while? But what if you couldn’t figure out how to turn them back on?
That’s one of many scenarios that flash past in the trailer for Circuit Breakers Apple TV+ released Monday. It’s a science-fiction series about middle-schoolers set in the near future. It premieres November 11.