The well-regarded Slopes app that provides resort information to skiers and snowboarders — and helps them track their exploits carving mountain trails — saw four major updates in December. They include privacy-focused live location sharing and enhanced maps for iPhone and Apple Watch.
2022 could be the year Apple takes iMac to the next level. Various leaks point to an iMac Pro with a blazing-fast processor and a beautiful screen.
But it’s not supposed to be any larger than the biggest current iMac, though the overall design is expected to change.
We keep coming across two great secrets of super-clean desktops when it comes to computer setups. As shown in today’s featured setup, they’re both about creating significant amounts of open desk space in different ways — without losing any access to your gear or forfeiting any computing power.
And we’re not just talking about clearing away basic clutter, or even cable clutter, although that always helps. We’re talking about how you can get some of your main equipment up and off the desk so you have room in front of you. Redditor kurtvdpoel demonstrates the two excellent methods in his post, “Home office with Mac mini Apple M1.”
If you got an Apple Watch for Christmas, or even if you already had one — congratulations on owning one of the best smartwatches! Now, it’s time to up your band game (aka your Apple Watch strap). For a limited time, you can get the Speidel Square Tip Oiled Leather Band for Apple Watch for just $9.89 in the Cult of Mac Store. That’s 70% off the regular price!
Competition for highly skilled engineers and programmers is fierce in Silicon Valley, and Apple’s answer is big bonuses for employees it really wants to hold on to. It reportedly rewarded some workers with up to $180,000 in company stock.
These were apparently unscheduled and not part of usual compensation packages.
Apple won‘t let the iPad languish in 2022. Most notably, some big improvements are reportedly coming to the display and charging capabilities of the iPad Pro line.
And the iPad Air and iPad won‘t be overlooked, either.
Apple received a patent for a foldable iPad cover/stand capable of holding the tablet up in a range of viewing angles. It’s a notable improvement over the current Apple Smart Cover.
Of course, there are plenty of third-party folding iPad stands with comparable capabilities. But people are more likely to pick Apple’s version because it’s Apple.
The eagerly anticipated and much-praised Apple TV+ original series Foundation, based on the epic Isaac Asimov novels of the 1950s, has received a modern-day distinction, of sorts — it’s among the most-pirated shows of the year online. As such, it’s in good company.
It’s not quite the same sort of honor as the scads of awards Apple TV+ has been winning for shows like Ted Lasso and Stillwater, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
In gift-giving season, sometimes you get something you already have or something that isn’t quite what you wanted. So, if you can exchange the item for something you truly covet — like a killer pair of Apple AirPods or Beats earbuds — you probably should.
But how do you choose between earbuds made by Apple and earbuds made by Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre? We’ve laid out the specs for four popular sets of buds, below, pitting AirPods Pro against Beats Fit Pro and the new AirPods (3rd gen) against Beats Studio Buds. But all the specs listed in each chart are the same, so it’s not difficult to compare and contrast all four.
A new, red-and-gold, limited-edition design for Beats Studio Buds will celebrate the Lunar New Year in China and other countries — the Year of the Tiger — Apple said on Monday.
This follows a recent release of another predominately red, limited-edition design in collaboration with the men’s fashion store Union we wrote about earlier in December.
The new, highly transmissible COVID-19 variant reportedly forced Apple to shut down around 20 of its retail stores in the United States. Coronavirus cases continue to rise dramatically because of the omicron variant, with the daily national average more than doubling in the past two weeks.
Those planning to return a gift at a brick-and-mortar Apple Store, or use a gift certificate, should check to see if it’s open before heading out.
With 2022 almost on us, it’s time to look forward to the massive MacBook Air refresh expected next year. Tipsters say there’ll be a slim new design, a much better screen and a range of other improvements.
This notebook is also expected to be the debut of the super-speedy Apple M2 processor.
Three months after launch, a lower percentage of iPhone users have adopted iOS 15 than they did its predecessors in previous years. Cult of Mac asked readers to explain their hesitancy.
Turns out there’s not one single reason.
Apple reportedly hired Meta’s AR communications chief recently, a move that fits with Cupertino’s long-rumored plan to launch an augmented reality/virtual reality headset.
Observers expect Apple to unveil its mixed-reality headset sometime in 2022. And, according to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, Apple is forming a team to handle the hardware’s launch and marketing. Part of this appears to be the hiring of Andrea Schubert, chief of communications and public relations for AR at Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook.
![Dual M1 Mac and PS5 gaming rig boasts blazing-fast displays [Setups]: When you've got that need for speed ...](https://www.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Dual-M1-Mac-and-PS5-gaming-rig-boasts-blazing-fast-displays-Setups-.jpeg "Dual M1 Mac and PS5 gaming rig boasts blazing-fast displays [Setups]")
If you’re an avid gamer, or maybe just an aspiring one, it pays to know which displays and accessories will best serve your needs. Not just any display, input device and headset will keep up with today’s graphically rich games. The dual M1 Mac and Sony PlayStation 5 computer setup we look at today demonstrates some good choices you might consider.
Redditor smhppp uses an M1 Mac mini for personal uses, an M1 MacBook Air for work and a Sony PS5 for gaming. They showed their setup in a post entitled, “Current setup, spec in comments for those interested.” It’s one of those one-vertical-and-one horizontal-display setups so many people are trying lately.
Apple proves that demo videos don’t have to be dry and boring. It premiered a trio of short videos Sunday that show off the capabilities of the iPhone 13 Pro camera — and they’re actually fun to watch.
Plus, if you were just gifted Apple’s latest handset, watch all three and you might be inspired to go make a movie with it.
2022 might bring some significant swings in Apple’s phone strategy. The “regular” iPhone 14 series reportedly will include a more affordable 6.7-incher in place of the 5.4-inch mini model. And the two upcoming iPhone Pro models could get rid of the notch, replacing it with a smaller alternative.
Plus, there allegedly will be a big improvement to the rear-facing camera, as well as other changes. And an iPhone SE 3.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: New renders give us an even better vision of what Apple’s mixed-reality headset might look like. We’re still not convinced we’ll be wondering around with these things strapped to our heads — especially if they cost $3,000. However, we must admit that the concept art by Ian Zelbo does look pretty cool.
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 livestream, embedded below.
Christmas time is here, and Apple TV+ is ready to help you celebrate. There are some wonderful specials on Apple’s streaming service that can get you in the holiday spirit.
Any and all of them are ready to watch now.
It’s Christmas Eve, and all we want for the holiday is a Porsche 911. It could be a gleaming new one, with a base price of a mere $99,200. It could be super-cool vintage one. Or it could even be a Lego one like the one featured in today’s MacBook Pro and iPad Pro-driven setup.
OK, given our paltry income, who are we kidding — we’d even take a die-cast 911, like the Matchbox cars of our youth.
Ever wondered what today’s most popular Mac apps might have looked like on earlier Macintosh machines? These incredible design concepts imagine the likes of Google Chrome, Spotify and Zoom running on the 22-year-old Mac OS 9.
Graphic designer Michael Feeney created the collection as part of his terrific (mac)OStalgia project. Check it out in the four-minute video below.
It’s unlikely the average AirPods Pro owner would be wearing their buds into a real battle to listen to some banging tunes. But if they were, they would protect them with Elkson’s ultra-rugged Military Bumper case.
With its tough exoskeleton design, made from a mixture of flexible polyurethane and sturdy polycarbonate, the Military Bumper is all you need to keep your favorite wireless headphones in top condition. It’s also surprisingly affordable.
In the three months since iOS 15 launched, 65% of iPhone users have installed it. That’s well below the percentage of users who’d installed iOS 14 the same amount of time after its debut in 2020.
There are several possible reasons why the iOS 15 adoption rate might be slower than that of its predecessor.
If you like epic adventures, you are going to want to enter our latest giveaway. Cult of Mac is giving away six Koala 2.0 iPhone harnesses from Hangtime to three lucky winners. This super-grip harness is the smartphone leash for life on the go.
The Koala 2.0 harness will become your trusty sidekick. Its simple design will keep your iPhone both safe and handy. If you have a taste for adventure, or just a need to keep your iPhone close and safe, be sure to enter this giveaway.
Some Apple Watch owners are experiencing charging problems after installing Apple’s newest watchOS 8.3 update.
The bug mostly appears to affect Apple Watch Series 7 and third-party charging accessories from a range of brands. However, some users have reported similar problems with older Apple Watch models. There is a temporary fix if you need it.