We interrupt your Black Friday weekend shopping spree for this important bulletin: Cult of Mac’s buyback program is offering an extra $20 on every piece of Apple gear you sell to us. That’s on top of the already generous cash-back opportuni ties we offer every day of the year.
Head to our buyback page now and enter code BFCM to get that sweet extra cash — but do it fast. This special offer ends Monday night.
Save up to 50% on the hottest Apple accessories from Elago, Elkson, Just Mobile and more in the Cult of Mac Store’s big Black Friday sale.
You can pick up great cases for all your Apple devices, brilliant Apple Watch bands, and lots more at bargain prices — and enjoy free shipping when you spend $40 or more. The sale ends soon, so notch some savings while you can. It’s the perfect time to pick up Apple accessories for yourself or for people on your holiday shopping list.
A new iPhone concept design puts a scroll wheel in place of the usual side button. And it changes the shape of the handset to eliminate the screen notch.
Watch the designer talk about his innovative iPhone 15 design in a new video.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: If you thought the M1 Max MacBook Pros were powerhouses, wait till you hear about the iMac Pro that might be coming down the pike. Apple reportedly wants to double up the world-beating chip to amp up the performance even more. Prepare to be amazed!
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.
Apple’s much-anticipated augmented reality headset could finally drop late next year, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The device is expected to pack a surprisingly powerful chip that would put it on par with an M1 Mac in processing performance. A second low-power processor will reportedly handle the headset’s many built-in sensors.
A three-month free trial of Apple News+ is now available to those who sign up through Cyber Monday. The promotion is much more generous than the one-month trial typically offered by Apple, but it’s only available to new users.
Once the trial has ended, subscriptions auto-renew at $9.99 per month.
If you’re the kind of person who gets pleasure out of destroying other people’s snowmen, you’ll love Apple’s new “Shot on iPhone” ad for the holiday season.
“Saving Simon” tells the story of a young girl who saves a beloved snowman from a mass stomping, keeps it alive all year long by shutting it inside a freezer, then helplessly watches on as it gets brutally obliterated in a hit and run.
Bacioiu Constantin Ciprian, known online as “Zapa,” was born in Buzau, Romania, in 1991, not long after a revolution toppled communist rule there. He loved technology as a kid, but it was expensive and hard to get. And soon enough he realized how much he loved Apple products — especially those around in his youth.
Now a longtime resident of Bucharest, he designs and develops games to run on vintage equipment. And get a load of that retro setup!
Caviar is back with another crazy (and wildly expensive) custom iPhone. Its latest model, which is dubbed the Tesla Electro, contains a real piece from a Tesla car and is available in iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max versions.
You can get yours with up to 1TB of storage, but be warned that prices can reach an eye-watering $8,380.
Some M1 MacBook Air models pack exactly the same chipset as the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, but they don’t offer the same level of performance. Why? Because the MacBook Pro has a cooling fan and the MacBook Air doesn’t.
But with a quick and easy thermal mod, you can give the more affordable MacBook Air a rather significant speed boost that makes it very nearly as fast as its sibling. Check out the video below that explains it all.
An accidental collaboration with Apple saved NBC sitcom The Office from cancellation during its second season.
A fifth-generation iPod took a starring role in an episode of the comedy series. Then, the unlikely cameo spurred sales of reruns of the show on iTunes. And the rest is history.
The only thing I don’t like about Belkin’s 3-in-1 MagSafe wireless charger is its name. And, until now, its availability and price.
Those last two problems just disappeared, however briefly, as the hard-to-find 15-watt MagSafe charger is back in stock on Belkin’s website — and with a sweet 25% Black Friday discount to boot! Just be sure to use the promo code when you check out.
Take a peek at what’s inside your iPhone 13 without actually pulling it apart. These beautifully detailed wallpapers offer a glimpse at all the components under its hood — and they come in a bunch of gorgeous color options.
Download them now for free.
Getting a little bored of your iPhone XR’s aging form factor? Make it look like an iPhone 13 and add MagSafe support with this $39.50 mod kit.
The kit includes a complete chassis and tools, so all you have to do is transfer the screen and internal components from your existing iPhone. The video below walks you through the process — and shows the impressive final result.
Suppose the keyboard of your MacBook rose up slightly and pivoted toward you when you opened the lid. That’s the idea described by a patent Apple was just awarded.
The concept has ergonomic benefits but also adds moving parts.
Apple says it will send threat alerts to customers who potentially targeted by the NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus spyware.
Cupertino on Tuesday announced that it is suing NSO Group over the tools the Israeli company develops and sells to governments to spy on iPhone owners. Apple’s alerts to affected iPhone users are another effort to prevent software like Pegasus from going unnoticed.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Apple’s primary chip production partner, will start manufacturing custom 5G modem chips for iPhone in 2023, according to a new report, which cites four different sources familiar with the plan.
TSMC reportedly will build the chips using a 4-nanometer manufacturing process. The proprietary modems would allow Apple to reduce its reliability on rival chipmaker Qualcomm.
Apple noted on its website that a planned iOS 15 and watchOS 8 feature letting users add a driver’s license or state ID to an iPhone and Apple Watch in participating U.S. states is delayed until early 2022. Previously, the Cupertino tech giant pegged late 2021 for the launch.
An exceedingly rare wearable from 1988 called a “WristMac” is currently on auction at ComicConnect. Seiko and partner company Ex Machina made this ancestor of the smart watch, not Apple, but it could connect to a Macintosh and perform certain functions — and a version of it even did so on a Space Shuttle mission. It’s expected to fetch anywhere between $25,000 and $100,000.
We’ll have to see it if goes that high. Bidding started on Monday at $1. It stood Tuesday at $950 with 30 bids in. The auction runs through December 18.
Apple filed a lawsuit Tuesday against NSO Group, the company that makes Pegasus spyware used by some countries to hack into iPhones. Apple says the goal is to hold NSO Group “accountable for the surveillance and targeting of Apple users.”
NSO Group claims Pegasus is only used by governments to fight crime, but there are accusations that it’s being used it to hack the smartphones of activists, politicians, journalists and other individuals.
Smart home equipment provider Aqara rolled out a new security camera that works as a Zigbee 3.0 home-automation hub while supporting HomeKit and HomeKit Secure Video. The new G3 camera features 2K resolution, the ability to pan and tilt, and facial and gesture recognition.
The new camera serves as an upgrade to Aquara Camera Hub G2H, adding 2K video recording and more.
A version of Windows built to run on Arm processors could eventually come to M1 Mac models, with Qualcomm’s current exclusivity deal with Microsoft “set to expire soon,” according to a new report.
The deal, which wasn’t public knowledge until this week, could explain why there are only a limited number of Windows devices powered by Arm chips — all made by Qualcomm — on the market today. But that’s set to change.
Tile, the company famous for its Bluetooth tracking gadgets, is selling itself to Life360 for $205 million. The move comes just six months after Tile was forced to face its toughest competition yet — Apple’s popular AirTag.
Life360, which offers a family safety service, said the Tile acquisition will allow it to “provide a unique and all-encompassing solution for finding the people, pets and things.” The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
Choetech is giving away three MagSafe wireless 2 in 1 charging stands. These minimalist magnetic chargers are perfect for anybody who pairs a MagSafe-compatible iPhone with wirelessly charging AirPods.
In addition to those three lucky winners, all Cult of Mac readers can get a 40% discount code for one of these sweet charging stands. That brings the price down from $52.99 to just $31.80, shipping included.
You can enter the giveaway below. But if you aren’t feeling lucky, or just like a really good deal, you can purchase a MagSafe wireless 2 in 1 charging stand from Choetech and use Cult of Mac’s special discount code: COMAC575. The charging stand makes a great gift. And with that 40% discount, you can afford to gift a few.
Mujjo’s luxurious leather cases offer great protection without making your pricey iPhone feel cheap and tacky. Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store and save up to 25% for Black Friday.
Also enjoy the similar discount on Mujjo gloves, laptop sleeves, and more. This is a limited-time offer, so enjoy it while you can!