Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis isn’t like any sport you’ve played before. Photo: Viacom/Apple
Danny Phantom heads to the tennis court with SpongeBob. Or Garfield faces down Invader Zim. It’s not animation day at Wimbledon — it’s Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis. The stars of animated shows past and present compete in a very unusual version of the sport.
In terms of proper ergonomics, the "before" photo set off some alarm bells. Photo: [email protected]
If your computer setup had three screens, including a MacBook Pro, an iPad and a 32-inch external monitor, would you make the iPad the center screen? Would you put your screened devices on stands, or leave them at or near table level? Today’s setup saw a transition that might actually save its owner from years of physical therapy.
“This is what neck pain would look like if it were a setup,” someone said about the “before” photo, above.
Now just $153.11 — down from $199.99 — for a limited time. Photo: Apple
Beats Fit Pro headphones, which made their debut last November, pack spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, the Apple H1 chip for quick and easy pairing, and active noise cancellation. Get yours at their lowest price to date.
The black models are currently available from Amazon for just $153.11 for a limited time. That’s $46.88 off the usual price.
Just like Apple's, but less than half the price. Photo: Laut
Give your Apple Watch a suave and sophisticated makeover with this stunning Steel Loop band from Laut. It’s made entirely from high-grade stainless steel and available in a number of cracking color options.
It’s also wonderfully affordable at under $34 after a 15% discount.
Apple this week dropped a pair of new ads for iPhone 13, highlighting its newest handset’s brilliant battery life and durability.
One of the one-minute clips shows iPhone 13 being used to film a boy during a day-long bike ride. The other shows the device being used as a toy, hammer, baseball bat and more by an energetic toddler.
The watchOS 8.4 release candidate that rolled out to beta testers on Thursday eliminates an Apple Watch charging bug that first surfaced around a month ago.
The issue, which mostly affected Apple Watch Series 7, prevented devices from charging when using third-party accessories from a wide range of brands. But with the latest watchOS 8.4 update installed, everything is back to normal.
You read that right, Godzilla, the King of the Monsters himself, is getting a series on Apple TV+. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
Apple TV+ is making a series set in Legendary’s MonsterVerse that includes movies like Godzilla vs. Kong. The show will be live action, and continue the story of humanity’s battle to survive in a world populated with city-crushing behemoths.
If you want an educational discount on a MacBook, better be prepared to prove you are a university student. Photo: Antoni Shkraba/Pexels
The U.S. Apple Store for Education now requires shoppers to prove they are a university student or teacher before they can get products at a discount. Before now, it essentially operated on the honor system, which was a giant loophole.
After the change, shoppers can’t even see the discounted prices without getting verified first.
The macOS 12.2 release candidate means a full release is almost here. Photo: Cult of Mac
The macOS Monterey 12.2 release candidate went to developers on Thursday. This makes a full launch only a few days away.
Apple has yet to give an official list of changes in the upcoming version, but beta testers indicate it will offer smoother scrolling on MacBooks with ProMotion displays and a rewritten Apple Music app.
The JBL PartyBox Encore is a 100W speaker with a Lightshow and two microphones. Photo: JBL
Every year Samsung subsidiary JBL rolls out a tempting raft of updated or new audio products at CES, but you can’t get them right away. CES 2022, held in Las Vegas earlier this month, was no different. The company showed its new JBL PartyBox Encore and a slew of other Bluetooth speakers, earbuds and headphones. We’ll round them up below. Some are coming in spring and others in summer.
Bug fixes aren't exciting, but they're necessary. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple seeded the iOS 15.3 release candidate to developers on Thursday, along with the iPadOS equivalent. Surprisingly, the updates appear to include nothing but bug fixes and security updates. There are no new features. Still, I t’s possible these will take care of a headline-making WebKit bug that leaks user information.
Release candidates for macOS Monterey 12.2, watchOS 8.4 and tvOS 15.3 are also out on Thursday.
Grace Kaufman and Jacques Colimon in “The Sky Is Everywhere,” debuting February 11 on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ will premiere The Sky Is Everywhere, a story of love and loss, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
A trailer for the upcoming film debuted Thursday, giving viewers a first look at a young woman simultaneously dealing with the death of her sister and her first love.
Get the gorgeous Modern Leather band for under $39. Photo: Mifa
It’s your last chance to save on a range of stellar accessories for Apple Watch, AirPods and more. Everything from Elkson and Mifa is currently discounted by 15% in the Cult of Mac Store, but the sale ends later today.
Illinois wants new legislation against Apple and Google. Image: Apple
Illinois is the latest U.S. state to file a bill that could force Apple and Google to accept third-party payment systems inside apps.
The “Freedom to Subscribe Directly Act,” supported by Hey app developer Basecamp, wants to prohibit both companies from requiring developers to use the App Store and Google Play to sell software and subscriptions.
But Spotify is still way out in front. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
With a 15% share of the market, Apple Music is now the second-biggest music streaming service in the world, according to the latest data. It remains significantly bigger than rivals like YouTube Music and Deezer. Over the years, Apple has consistently evolved its music offerings, with features like apple.music replay allowing users to revisit their favorite songs and discover their listening trends.
However, Apple Music will have to fight to stay ahead of Amazon Music, while catching up with Spotify will be an incredibly difficult task.
It's time to update if you haven't already. Image: Apple
iOS and iPadOS 15 fix a pretty serious security flaw that allowed third-party applications to access Apple ID information and recent search terms.
Apple this week confirmed the fix in an update to its security content guide for iOS 15. It does not look like the issue has been eliminated in iOS 14, which is no longer receiving standalone security updates.
It's iOS 15 or it's nothing now. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple has confirmed that giving users the option to skip iOS 15 updates and stick with iOS 14 was always intended to be temporary.
Its clarification comes after it last week stopped delivering security updates to those who have chosen not to update their devices since iOS 15 made its debut last September. iOS 15.2.1 is now the only upgrade option.
This cellular GPS tracker works with a companion app for easy tracking anytime, anywhere. Photo: Invoxia
If you live in a big city, you likely suffered the misfortune of having something stolen. Maybe thieves swiped your bike, motorcycle, car or backpack.
Whatever the item, it sucks. But this week’s Cult of Mac giveaway can help you when disaster strikes. Invoxia, an award-winning designer of tracking devices, is giving three lucky winners its Cellular GPS Tracker and a one-year subscription to 4G networks that let the device work its magic.
If you constantly misplace your bag or worry about getting your bike stolen, make sure you enter our giveaway.
C-band 5G is here, and it’s available on every 5G iPhone and iPad. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Both AT&T and Verizon began rolling out a new 5G version on Wednesday. And getting access via C-band doesn’t require getting a new iPhone. If your iOS device supports 5G, it can use the new version.
The same goes for iPad. If it has built-in 5G, it supports C-band.
Mophie's new 3-in-1 MagSafe travel charger is ready to go. Photo: Mophie
As the number of officially certified third-party MagSafe accessories grows, Mophie adds to the product pile with a new multi-device travel charger. It folds, stores away in a handsome felt case — and you can only get it through the Apple Store.
Adds some library camouflage to your iPad and keyboard with the Twelve South BookBook Cover. Photo: Twelve South
While there are a lot of generic iPad cases, the new BookBook Cover from Twelve South is completely eye opening. It turns an iPad and keyboard into a leather-bound book. While making the tablet look medieval, it’s also protecting the valuable computer inside from bumps and blows.
Unlike the standard BookBook Case for iPad, this version has room to hold an Apple Magic Keyboard.
Foundation led the pack for Apple TV+ for visual effects awards nominations. Photo: Apple TV+
The Visual Effects Society nominated Apple TV+ titles Tuesday for seven honors in its 20th Annual VES Awards, including the Tom Hanks film Finch and the epic sci-fi series Foundation.
Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway will star in WeCrashed on Apple TV+, premiering spring 2022. Photo: Apple TV+
The first trailer for the Apple TV+ series WeCrashed focuses on the eerie cult of personality that WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann built before his company crashed. The series will star Jared Leto as Neumann, with Anne Hathaway playing his wife (and fellow WeWork exec), Rebekah.
The series will portray “the love story at the center of it all,” according to Apple. The streaming service also revealed on Wednesday the premiere date for the WeWork series: March 18, 2022.
The new Canon EOS R5 C keeps the R5's still-photo chops but adds unlimited video recording. Photo: Canon
On Tuesday Canon rolled out its new EOS R5 C camera. It called the device a “true hybrid” full-frame mirrorless camera for still photography as well as unlimited video recording. The camera combines the company’s stills-focused EOS technology with Cinema EOS into one thick, actively-cooled camera body.
It's significantly more affordable than Apple's. Photo: SwitchEasy
Is your Apple Watch beginning to look a little drab and boring? Give it a brightly colored makeover with SwitchEasy’s tasty Candy band, made from a soft, braided nylon that’s just as comfortable as it is attractive.
Despite its brilliant built quality, it’s also significantly more affordable than Apple’s own braided bands for Apple Watch — especially when you can get it for 15% less.