News - page 206

How many times have you watched the many-and-varied film-and-TV versions of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol? You know, Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, bad dreams, redemption. Well, if you haven’t heard, the story has once again clawed its way out of the grave.

Apple TV+ dropped a teaser trailer Wednesday for its new version, the comedy-musical Spirited set for release in theaters November 11 and on the streaming service November 18.

This time it looks like a contemporary take, with Ghost of Christmas Present Will Ferrell trying to drag corporate-executive-looking Ryan Reynolds into a vision that includes big dance numbers.

Sometimes the hero of a computer setup isn’t the computer itself. And it may not be a slick external display or other peripherals, either. In today’s featured MacBook Pro setup, a newly added LG UltraFine display gets some attention, but the real star is something a bit more pedestrian mounted on the wall behind it.

Pegboards may have no world-changing technology built into them, but they can radically change your setup for the better as an inventive storage and charging solution.

Apple Music is now available on recent versions of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console. That includes playing songs while gaming.

The streaming music service is already available on PlayStation and other third-party entertainment platforms.

Mythic Quest season three is just weeks away, and Apple TV+ ramped up fan excitement on Tuesday with a trailer for the new season. The new episodes will pit the gaming company newly formed by Ian and Poppy against David and Mythic Quest.

Watch the trailer now.

Bose took a further step into the compact, affordable soundbar market Monday with release of its new Smart Soundbar 600. It looks set to compete in a growing pool of home-theater audio products that don’t break the bank.

Featuring Dolby Atmos, Bose “TrueSpace” and AirPlay 2 technology, the slender speaker goes for $499, Bose said.

Ask Apple is a new way for iPhone and Mac developers to get support and feedback. It will include interactive question-and-answer sessions and one-on-one consultations.

“If you’re a developer, you don’t want to miss out on Ask Apple,” says Greg Joswiak the company’s global head of marketing.

You can get Apple’s latest iPad for just $269 on Amazon after a $60 discount. This Prime Early Access deal marks the lowest price yet for the entry-level iPad released in 2021.

That whopping $60 discount makes Apple’s cheapest iPad even more affordable.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away more than 11 years ago, but that didn’t prevent him from giving a new interview with superstar podcaster Joe Rogan. In it, the co-creator of the Mac talks about the importance of Eastern mysticism, his thoughts on LSD, Google, innovation and more.

There’s just one tiny wrinkle: The entire podcast is generated by artificial intelligence. That includes Jobs’ and Rogan’s voices and their responses.

Anyone who recently nabbed a fancy new iPhone 14 faces the question: Do I trust the device’s built-in durability, or do I put it in a case? Your iPhone may be tough, but is it tough enough to withstand you dropping it all over the place? Most people still elect to use cases because they can add both style and protection at a low cost.

A great option for stylish handset protection in the Cult of Mac Store is the Laut Shield case, new for the iPhone 14 lineup. Its dual-layer design is highly protective and it comes in six interesting colors.

Apple’s older but still powerful M1 MacBook Air is discounted by a whopping $200 for Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale. The laptop carries an MSRP of $999, but you can save $200 and get it for $799 after the discount.

This is among the lowest prices Apple’s M1 MacBook Air has dropped to in recent months. Despite its age, the machine promises all-day battery life and has enough power for everyday use.

The Kensington SD5780T is a desktop dock that connects to a Mac over Thunderbolt 4 at up to 40 Gbps. And it includes almost a dozen ports of various types to enable to everything from a mouse to a high-speed external drive.

The dock can also fast charge a MacBook.

After months of beta testing, Apple could finally release iPadOS 16.1 in the last week of October. The company delayed iPadOS 16’s launch from its usual September release timeline due to bugs and issues with Stage Manager.

This is the first time Apple did not drop a significant iPadOS build alongside a new iOS release. Historically, major updates to both OSes have launched around the same time.

At first glance, Selena Gomez is a fabulously successful actress and singer. But she has had her share of troubles, including medical and mental health problems.

Upcoming Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me looks at her struggles to overcome these challenges. And the first trailer, released Monday by Apple, gives us a sense of what to expect.

Apple released iOS 16.0.3 and watchOS 9.0.2 on Monday to remove a range of small bugs. Many of these affect the new iPhone 14 series and Apple Watch models.

Both updates are recommended for those with Apple’s latest handsets and wearables, as well as who’ve already installed iOS 16 and watchOS 9.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is already available with a sweet $50 discount on Amazon. Take advantage of the offer, and you can get Apple’s latest smartwatch for as low as $349.

Apple products are rarely discounted within a month of their release. And this is the first time the Apple Watch Series 8 is seeing a discount after its launch.

Shipments of MacBooks, iMacs and other Macs during the third quarter of 2022 grew 40.2% year-over-year.

Windows PC makers shipments all dropped in the same time period, so Apple’s share of global market for traditional computers increased substantially.

People are reportedly getting off roller coasters and discovering that their new iPhone 14 called 911 for them. Turns out the handsets mistook thrilling rides for a car wreck and thought their users needed emergency help. It’s an unintended result of Crash Detection, a feature added to Apple’s latest handsets.

Fortunately, there are a couple of options to use as a workaround until Apple has a better solution.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Erfon returns from his Florida vacation just in time to rave about the Apple Watch Ultra and share some tips on how to use the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island.

Also on The CultCast:

• Remembering Steve Jobs, who died 11 years ago this week.
• The iPhone’s switch from Lightning to USB-C is coming sooner rather than later.
• Are iPhone cameras really good enough to replace DSLRs?
• Vacation talk, including how Erfon barely avoided a nasty Hurricane Ian surprise.

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.

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Apple TV+ unveiled the first trailer Friday for its upcoming drama Causeway, starring and produced by Oscar-winning actor Jennifer Lawrence. In the film, she portrays a wounded soldier struggling to adjust to life upon returning home to New Orleans.

Causeway premieres in theaters and on Apple TV+ on November 4.

Ultrahuman, which runs an advanced metabolic fitness platform of the same name, introduced its new Ultrahuman Ring Friday. The metabolism-tracking wearable is available via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

The company said it “seeks to engage the creator community and innovate with biohackers all around the world.” The campaign runs through October 27.

Who says Macs aren’t good for gaming? M1 Macs seem to be improving Apple’s reputation on that front, as shown in today’s featured M1 Max MacBook Pro computer setup.

With Apple’s most powerful laptop driving a stunning 5K Studio Display, this player is in gaming paradise. And he digs the display’s sound, too.

A new report indicates Apple is preparing to start putting CPUs made with a 2nm process in its computers, although they won’t be available for several years. This would allow the chips to perform faster while using less power than today’s best.

Progress marches on… with the occasional stumble. The new report comes after the Mac-maker missed out on chips made with a 3nm process, forcing the company to use a 5nm one in its 2022 Mac, iPhone and iPad models.

A month after its announcement, the iPhone 14 Plus finally goes on sale in over 30 markets today. The ‘Plus’ model is the newest addition to Apple’s iPhone lineup.

With a starting price tag of $899, the iPhone 14 Plus is $100 more expensive than the iPhone 14. But for that additional money, you get a bigger 6.7-inch display and longer battery life.

This week’s giveaway is a special chance for any new iPhone 14 user. Three lucky winners will get their hands on a bundle of iPhone accessories from Laut.

The prize package includes a new iPhone 14 series case and a screen protector. And, to add ultimate protection, the winners also get a lens protector to safeguard the iPhone 14 camera array.

An enhanced version of the Apple Studio Display won’t launch until the first part of 2023, according to a very reliable source of insider info. It supposedly will have much in common with Apple’s current version, but with a mini-LED screen in place of the standard LCD.

This is the third time unconfirmed reports have indicated the product release has been pushed back.