Mobile menu toggle

News - page 291

Intense Dr. Brain sci-fi K-drama hits Apple TV+ on Nov. 4

By •

Intense ‘Dr. Brain’ sci-fi K-drama hits Apple TV+ on Nov. 4
Dr. Brain risks madness to discover what killed his family.
Photo: Apple TV+

Dr. Brain will be the first Korean Apple Original when it launches on Apple TV+ in early November. It tells the story of a scientist so desperate to find out how his family was killed that he’s willing to connect his brain to theirs to access their memories.

A trailer released Monday gives a first look at how intense the six-episode series will be. Watch it now!

AirPods 3 review roundup: Sounds great!

By •

AirPods 3
The new AirPods are resistant to both sweat and water, with an IPX4 rating for both the earbuds and the case.
Photo: Apple

The first wave of AirPods 3 reviews just came out, and they’re full of good news for those considering Apple’s latest truly wireless earbuds. Sound quality draws praise, as does battery life. But reviewers don’t seem as happy about the lack of active noise cancellation. And some would have preferred silicone ear tips.

Read on for reviewers’ specific comments about AirPods 3.

Apple Fitness+ adds SharePlay for motivation and ‘smack talk’

By •

SharePlay makes Apple Fitness+ workouts more personal by letting you communicate with friends in real time.
SharePlay makes Apple Fitness+ workouts more personal by letting you communicate with friends in real time.
Photo: Apple

Apple Fitness+ added group workouts and meditation sessions Monday, letting users communicate in real time with up to 32 other people. The new capability taps FaceTime’s new SharePlay feature, which works on iOS devices now and comes to macOS Monterey later this fall.

“It’s a really fun way to connect with friends and family, even trade some words of encouragement or friendly smack talk, while also making progress toward closing their rings,” said Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of fitness technologies, in a press release.

macOS Monterey launches without some of its biggest features

By •

macOS Monterey brings powerful new features to Macs.
macOS Monterey brings powerful new features to Macs.
Photo: Apple

Mac users can now upgrade to macOS Monterey. This new version offers improvements to Safari and FaceTime, and new Focus mode. But two of its biggest features — Universal Control and SharePlay — won’t debut until later.

It’s free to download and install on all compatible computers.

Jazz up your decor with HomeKit-compatible Nanoleaf Lines smart lights

By •

Nanoleaf Lines smart lights can form various shapes.
Nanoleaf Lines smart lights can form various shapes.
Photo: Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf rolled out the latest in its catalog of modular, HomeKit-compatible LED smart-light panels. Following a parade of shaped-product releases — triangles, squares, hexagons — you can now buy Nanoleaf Lines for $200 and use them to make all sorts of lighted shapes. And you can sync them to action on a screen or to music.

Last chance! SwitchEasy Flash Sale: 30% off select iPhone 13 cases ends Monday

By •

This SwitchEasy iPhone 13 case features work by the artist Mondrian.
This SwitchEasy iPhone 13 case features work by the artist Mondrian.
Photo: SwitchEasy

Recently we featured a SwitchEasy sale on iPhone 11 cases, giving those who didn’t upgrade to iPhone 13 a reason to live (just kidding). Now a new SwitchEasy Flash Sale in the Cult of Mac Store is in effect — 30% off select iPhone 13 cases. But it ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time Monday, so act fast.

All blues: Sweet iMac finds itself in a cool-toned Satechi situation [Setups]

By •

A lovely blue iMac depends upon a raft of Satechi accessories.
A lovely blue iMac depends upon a raft of Satechi accessories.
Photo: [email protected]

Jazz great Miles Davis probably never imagined one of his classic song titles, “All Blues,” would end up in a headline about an M1 iMac-based computer setup. And it’s not every day you see a completely color-coordinated workstation that’s not just “Kind of Blue” (to drop another title), but drenched in blue hues.

These are strange times.

2021 MacBook Pro review roundup: Just what we hoped for

By •

2021 MacBook Pro review roundup: Just what we hoped for
The 2021 MacBook Pro draws praise, and just a bit of criticism, from reviewers.
Photo: Apple

The first reviews of the 2021 MacBook Pro just dropped, and they’re generally quite positive. There’s praise for the mini-LED display, the return of useful ports, and the sheer power of Apple’s new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

However, some reviewers harbor mixed feelings about the screen notch. Here’s a summary of comments about the features.

Apple Watch Series 8 health sensors might include blood glucose monitoring

By •

The Blood Oxygen sensor employs LEDs, along with photodiodes on the back crystal of Apple Watch Series 6.
Blood glucose monitoring could be a major change in Apple Watch Series 8.
Photo: Apple

Rumors that Apple Watch 7 would include be able to sense the wearer’s blood glucose didn’t pan out. But Apple is reportedly collaborating with a pair of Asian companies to add non-invasive blood sugar monitoring to the 2022 model.

This would add to the already lengthy list of health-monitoring features available in Apple’s current wearable.

Drool-worthy M2 MacBook Air concept shows off super-slim design

By •

Drool-worthy M2 MacBook Air concept shows off super slim design
The 2022 MacBook Air could be the crazy slim macOS notebook many people have been hoping for.
Photo: Front Page Tech /Renders by Ian

A new series of renders based on rumors about the 2022 MacBook Air show just how slim it might be. And how it might borrow many of the features of the recently announced MacBook Pro.

The upcoming model reportedly will include an M2 processor, a MagSafe connector and a mini-LED display with a screen notch. But not the wedge design of previous MacBook Airs.

Get ready to turn hand drawings into vector graphics with Illustrator for iPad

By •

Get ready to turn hand drawings into vector graphics with Illustrator for iPad
Sketch a picture and turn it into a vector graphic with Vectorize, coming soon to Illustrator for iPad.
Screenshot: Adobe/Cult of Mac

Adobe shared a sneak peek of the new Vectorize feature coming to Illustrator on the iPad. It will let users turn any hand drawn sketch into a vector graphic.

The developer shared a video demonstrating the capabilities of the upcoming featuere. Watch it now.

Share your memories, think creatively, and enjoy photography again [Awesome Apps of the Week]

By •

Awesome Apps of the week text in front of face down iPhone 12
With roughly 2 millions apps available in the App Store, sometimes all you need is something to tell you what’s good.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Whether you like great time-wasting games, want to experience the beautiful photography that was once popular on Instagram, or want to preserve your favorite memories in video, this week we have some awesome apps to check out.

The Touch Bar was doomed from the start. There was no escape.

By •

Was the Touch Bar out of touch with pro users needs?
Was the Touch Bar out of touch with pro users’ needs?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar was a technological marvel in its day. It brought the magic of multi-touch to macOS and, with its stand-alone T1 chipset, it put ARM-based Apple Silicon inside the MacBook when the M1 chip was still just a twinkle in Cupertino’s eye.

There’s no doubt it was a clever piece of engineering, but it proved unpopular with pro users. Many missed the tactile feedback of the traditional Escape key and function keys.

Apple rejigged things last year, shrinking the Touch Bar to make room for a physical escape key, but it was too little too late. Many will be glad to see the Touch Bar go, but I’m gonna miss that little sliver of multi-touch magic at the top of my keyboard.

New MacBook Pros sound absolutely mind-boggling [The CultCast]

By •

The CultCast 515: We can't stop gushing about the new M1 Max MacBook Pros.
Apple's new chips sound truly astonishing.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple Unleashed event bug This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Erfon can’t stop gushing about the new MacBook Pros! (What a shocker.) Plus, he reveals what it felt like to get Sherlocked during Apple’s “Unleashed” event this week. (Spoiler alert: CultCloth sales shot through the roof!) And none of us can stop raving about the astonishing power of Apple’s new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Awesome new third-gen AirPods.
  • Underwhelming new HomePod mini colors.
  • And a surprising Siri-only Apple Music Voice Plan.

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.

Halloween-worthy Razer Zephyr face masks sell out in minutes at $99 each

By •

Peace, and may nontoxic respiration be with you.
Peace, and may nontoxic respiration be with you.
Photo: Razer

If you decided to walk down to the neighborhood supermarket wearing your new Razer Zephyr “wearable air purifier” and a lab coat, you might cause a major panic. Unless you did it on Halloween, maybe. That’s how “airborne toxic event” these badass things look.

They’d be a little scary even without the lab coat. “Breathe in the future with the Razer Zephyr,” says the company’s website, with seemingly unintentional menace.

M1 Mac mini and gaming PC share massive screen real estate [Setups]

By •

Who says a Mac mini and a gaming PC can't get along just fine?
Who says a Mac mini and a gaming PC can't get along just fine?
Photo: [email protected]

Who says an M1 Mac mini and a revved-up gaming PC can’t get along? Macs aren’t known to excel at gaming, so it’s natural for many folks to keep a Mac alongside a tricked-out gaming rig. These days, it’s easy to switch back and forth, as we’ll see in today computer setup featuring a massive TV screen and a slightly more modest monitor.

Satechi adapter cleverly combines SSD storage compartment and USB-C hub

By •

Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter cleverly combines SSD storage compartment and USB-C hub
The Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter lets you add additional storage and peripherals to your Mac or iPad.
Photo: Satechi

Because you can never have too much storage or too many ports, the just-launched Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter includes an SSD storage compartment as well as four additional ports.

The multiuse Mac or iPad accessory launched Friday.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy gets glorious new trailer and release date

By •

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy screenshot
Quit drooling.
Photo: Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games today dropped its first trailer for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition — and confirmed its price tag and release date for those playing on PC and consoles (mobile versions follow next year).

The trailer shows significant improvements in graphics for all three games in the set, while remaining true to their original style, just as Rockstar promised.

iPhone SE 3 could steal iPhone XR’s design but miss out on Face ID

By •

iPhone XR performance is stellar, far better than many Android devices that cost more.
It would be a big upgrade for Apple's low-cost smartphone.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s third-generation iPhone SE may ship with a new design after all, with a new report claiming the low-cost device will look a lot like iPhone XR.

It is expected to get a much larger 6.1-inch display with significantly slimmer bezels. But unlike iPhone XR, it could ship with Touch ID integrated into its power button, rather than Face ID. It may also be Apple’s last LCD iPhone.

2022 MacBook Air could pack mini-LED display, MagSafe, colorful design

By •

2022 MacBook Air render
Who doesn't want a MacBook Air that looks like this?
Render: Ian Zelbo/Front Page Tech

We could be waiting until the middle of 2022 for the next MacBook Air refresh, but according to the latest rumor, it will be well worth the wait.

Apple’s next-generation ultraportable is expected to deliver a new mini-LED display and MagSafe connectivity — like the 2021 MacBook Pro — as well as a much more colorful design inspired by the 24-inch iMac.

Apple Watch Series 7 teardown reveals bigger batteries, new display tech

By •

Apple Watch Series 7 teardown
Very familiar but with some big differences.
Photo: iFixit

Apple Watch Series 7 just got its customary teardown by iFixit, revealing some small but significant changes to its internals — including slightly larger batteries — and a somewhat surprising repairability score.

It looks like Apple’s newest wearable now uses more advanced display technology, which could explain why it faced such a lengthy delay.

Apple M1 Max in 16-inch MacBook Pro will offer ‘High Power Mode’

By •

Apple M1 Max in 16-inch MacBook Pro will offer ‘High Power Mode’
The M1 Max chip will offer a ‘High Power Mode’ for really intensive tasks.
Photo: Apple

Everyone should be familiar with Low Power Mode on their iPhone, but top-tier configurations of the new MacBook Pro will reportedly have “High Power Mode.” This will give the macOS notebook even better performance when taking on “resource-intensive tasks.”

But the feature will only be available in the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max processor.

Great news, gamers! Apple TV+ renews Mythic Quest for two more seasons

By •

Great news, gamers! Apple TV+ renews ‘Mythic Quest’ for two more seasons
The dysfunctional but lovable developers of Mythic Quest are coming back for two more seasons.
Photo: Apple TV+

The gamer-themed workplace comedy Mythic Quest has been picked up for seasons three and four on Apple TV+. Not surprising: season two of the show enjoys a 100% critics approval score from Rotten Tomatoes.

The ensemble cast will return for more dysfunctional but somehow warm hearted office shenanigans.