That YouTube guy is showing me how to make Pad Thai. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Thanks to a new app called WatchTube, you can now play YouTube videos directly on your Apple Watch. A 2-inch OLED screen may not be your idea of a night at the cinema, but it’s not impossible to imagine the app being useful.
The M2 MacBook Pro gets called "a relic from another era" by Engadget. Photo: Apple
The first reviews of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple M2 processor are not kind. It gets called a “Pro in name only” and “literally a processor update and nothing more.”
Still, the M2 provides a pleasant increase in speed over the M1, making the new MBP the best-performing 13-inch Mac notebook.
Put your iPhone on T-Mobile for the fastest average speeds, Photo: T-Mobile
T-Mobile is the clear winner in a cross-country study of cellular data by PCMag. For the second year in a row, rivals Verizon and AT&T can not come close to providing the same average download or upload speeds.
PCMag summed its results up with, “T-Mobile isn’t just America’s fastest network, it’s also the best.”
Could these be the ones? At $599, they better be. Photo: Master & Dynamic
The new Master & Dynamic MW75 over-ear headphones will undoubtedly compete with top cans from Apple, Sony, Sennheiser and others. They boast up to 28 hours of battery life and adaptive, environmentally aware active noise cancellation.
But the premium Master & Dynamic headphones actually make AirPods Max look somewhat affordable. They cost an eye-popping $599.
SwitchEasy's charger lets you juice up four devices at once. Photo: SwitchEasy
The more gadgets we buy, the more separate chargers we end up with. If you’re sick of plugging in your stuff all over the place, try a multi-device charger like the SwitchEasy MagPower 4-in-1 Charging Stand.
The compact stand’s ingenious design lets you easily charge four devices at once. You can power up your iPhone or other smartphone, Apple Watch, AirPods and another device all at the same time. Three out of those four gadgets power up wirelessly, too, so you can cut some cords.
And through tonight, you can get 20% off the stand in the Cult of Mac Store. That’s a savings of $17 off the regular price.
Moving backgrounds are new feature of Keynote 12.1. Screenshot: Apple
Apple’s Keynote version 12.1 adds moving backgrounds intended to add visual interest to presentations. And Pages 12.1 adds support for mail merge.
Add in a performance-oriented tweak in Numbers 12.1, and you’ve got iWork 12.1, the latest version of Apple’s free productivity suite for Mac, iPad and iPhone.
HiRise 3 iPhone stand also powers up Apple Watch and AirPods cases. Photo: Twelve South
Put the Twelve South HiRise 3 on a desk or nightstand and it can hold up and juice up an iPhone, while also charging Apple Watch and AirPods. And it takes up less desk space than an iPhone.
The magnetic charging stand comes in two colors to match your décor.
You can add three screens to your Mac (even M1 and M2 ones) with the Plugable UD-ULTC4K. Photo: Plugable
While the Plugable UD-ULTC4K doesn’t have a very exciting name, the USB-C hub does boast a whopping 13 ports. It can add up to three high-res external displays to a Mac, plus USB-A accessories, Ethernet and more.
It’s an improved version of a popular model that first launched back in 2017.
The new track-lighting system opens up many customization options. Photo: Philips Hue
Signify said Tuesday it plans to expand its Philips Hue smart lighting range with the addition of track lighting, a new dimmer and scene-selection switch, and its first portable indoor-outdoor rechargeable lamp, among other items.
Philips Hue products support HomeKit via the Hue Bridge. The new options will launch during the summer, the company said.
Apple users may be freed from CAPTCHA. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple developed Automatic Verification to let iPhone, Mac and iPad users bypass those irritating CAPTCHA image tests that websites use to confirm that someone is a human and not a bot.
'For All Mankind' is one of the most popular shows on streaming. Photo: Apple TV+
For All Mankind is one of the most popular shows available on streaming, according to a ratings tracker. Season three of the alternate-history sci-fi series premiered on Apple TV+ in early June, and it’s been a Top 10 show both weeks since then.
Critics praise the series, too, so it’s doubly a success for Apple’s streaming service.
Laut's iPad Pro folio is a handsome case and stand. Photo: Laut
Father’s Day sales are drawing to a close, but one of the Cult of Mac Store’s promotions extends to the end of Monday. There’s still time to enjoy a buy-one-get-one-free offer from Laut on all of its Apple accessories. They have many kinds of cases, stands for iPads and MacBooks, Apple Watch bands and more, including plenty of fun stuff.
So Laut’s buy-one-get-one-free promotion on 79 Apple accessories in the Cult of Mac Store runs through the end of Monday. There’s just several hours to go, so shop away!
Escape from the Office is more than an ad for Apple products. It's fun and aspirational. Screenshot: Apple
Apple successfully created an extended video advertisement that people want to watch. Escape From the Office made it on YouTube’s own most most popular global ads of the past year.
It’s about a group who sets out to create a small business after ditching corporate life. They use Apple products, of course, but that’s not truly the focus.
Setapp has great productivity apps for macOS and iOS. Photo: [email protected]
A subscription service might not sound like a great way to get your apps, but don’t sell it short. Many folks find subscribing to Setapp is an easy and worthwhile way to get more than 200 apps that help with a variety of tasks — and that someone else has already curated.
After all, the main alternative is diving into the vast app ocean of the App Store. Good luck finding just what you need in there before you drown.
In honor of World Productivity Day — that’s right, at least try to look busy on June 20 — we take a look at some of Setapp’s great tools.
Would you have gone with a darker-colored keyboard? Which one? Photo: [email protected]
Will you rue the day you choose the wrong color peripherals? Will you ask strangers on social media to help you fix the problem? The owner of today’s striking M1 MacBook Air-based computer setup did just that.
But if you ask us, they could just take solace in the setup’s strengths. Those include an epic OLED smart TV and some top-shelf, professional-level audio gear, plus a cool Edison desk lamp.
But we’ll share some good advice we saw about the keyboard issue. Read more below.
M1 iMac in orange looks sleek and understated Photo: Apple
Looking to buy a new M1 iMac for your home or office? Amazon is offering a sweet 10% discount on the M1 iMac that drops its price to $1,345 — down from $1,499.
Stocks are limited, so take advantage of the deal as soon as possible.
Apple store employees in Towson, Maryland, voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Photo: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Employees at an Apple store in Maryland have made it the first of any of the Mac-maker’s retail locations to vote in favor of joining a union. Several other such stores are preparing to hold their own votes. Meanwhile, Apple is trying to discourage any efforts by its employees to unionize.
It’s not clear how all this will affect users of Apple devices.
Apple Watch Series 3 was a great smartwatch in its day. But that day was in 2017. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple Watch Series 3 is still in Apple’s product lineup but you should avoid it. It’s so near the end of its product life that it’s not a good value even at $199.
There’s another Apple wearable that costs just a bit more and isn’t about to ride off into the sunset.
AirTag is off to a strong start, and sales are growing. Photo: Apple
Apple’s launch into item trackers has been a success, according to an analyst. The company has sold millions of AirTags, and the number is expected to grow 75% this year.
Still, the Bluetooth tracker has generated controversy since it came on the market in 2021.
Time to walk back that M2 skepticism just a smidge. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Erfon’s warming up to Apple’s new M2 chip. New benchmarks make it sound even more capable than we thought.
Also on The CultCast:
Brace yourself for better narcissism: iPhone 14’s selfie cam is getting a major upgrade.
It sounds like Apple is planning a wild array of new MacBooks and iPads, in some very interesting sizes.
Apple TV shoots and scores! Major League Soccer is coming to the Apple TV app.
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 livestream, embedded below.