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News - page 33

Convert your iPhone into a classic camera with Leica Lux Grip

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Leica Lux Grip
Leica Lux Grip makes iPhone photography easier to handle.
Photo: Leica

Attach the Leica Lux Grip to your iPhone to add a shutter release. Plus, the magnetic accessory adds other buttons and a dial that can be customized. And a grip, naturally.

All this is a design intended to recreate the feel of using a classic Leica camera.

iPad case lets you take your secrets to the grave

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In Case of Death Case for iPad by Zugu
This iPad knows things. Terrible things.
Photo: Zugo

Do you harbor terrible secrets that must never get out? Zugu’s new In Case of Death Case for iPad Pro is for you. It’s always ready to automatically brick the tablet if you stop a bullet or get crushed in an “accident.”

Whether you’re a covert agent for British intelligence or just know things about the homeowners association that must never be revealed, Zugu Case has your back.

Surprise! Delayed Ted Lasso season 4 shifts focus to women’s soccer team.

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Ted Lasso season 4 shift
Juno Temple, left, and Hannah Waddingham could be back in season 4, which will apparently shift the focus to the AFC Richmond women's squad.
Photo: Apple TV+

So we know beloved hit Apple TV+ comedy series Ted Lasso will return for a fourth season. Though sources now say its production start will hit a delay of a few months. But perhaps more interesting than that: When it comes together, it will center on the formation of the AFC Richmond women’s soccer team. That departure from the show’s previous focus on the men’s squad is a major Ted Lasso season 4 shift.

Rumors have noted Coach Lasso himself (Jason Sudeikis) may be less involved this season, if at all. Maybe that’s reflected in the plot pivot. The fictional Premier League team AFC Richmond tapped a low-level American college football coach to manage the club — a ludicrously unrealistic premise, yet a charming and funny show — but for the new women’s squad he’ll merely consult, perhaps, and maybe only by SMS.

Surprise! M4 Mac mini multiport hub/stand launches early.

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Satechi Mac mini M4 Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure
Max out your Mac mini with this hub.
Photo: Satechi

The wait for the Satechi Mac mini M4 Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure isn’t as long as expected. The accessory — which adds front-facing ports and more storage — can be ordered now, though quantities are limited.

It seems a nice addition for Apple’s tiny new desktop. It even makes pressing the computer’s hidden power button easier.

New Apple TV+ drama explores life of world’s first celebrity chef (and French spy)

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Apple TV+ drama Careme
Historical drama Carême debuts on Apple TV+ on April 30.
Photo: Apple TV+

These days celebrity chefs have their own TV shows. They shill their product lines and cookbooks all over the place. But if you go back far enough, you can find the very first superstar cook who started it all, and in a very different time. That’s what Apple TV+ did with Carême, it’s upcoming French-language drama series. Like the book it’s based on, it chronicles the fascinating life of Antonin Carême, “the world’s first celebrity chef who secretly served as a spy in Napoleon’s Europe,” as the streamer put it.

The series, premiering April 30, stars César Award winner Benjamin Voisin as Carême. Apple TV+ offered several appetizing photographs Wednesday as a first look at the show.

Next-gen Apple M5 chip already in mass production

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Apple M5
Apple M5 is ready to replace the M4.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The Apple M5 processor is reportedly now in mass production in Korea, ready to improve the performance of Macs and iPads later this year.

With production already taking place, it’s possible the M5 will launch as an Apple product in the middle of the year, and not wait until autumn. As Apple continues to integrate AI capabilities into its chips, many users are looking for insights on how to use Apple AI to enhance their workflows.

Severance stars face hot ‘Wings of Death’ [Video]

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Severance stars on Hot Ones Versus
Scott and Arquette take miniscule bites to minimize the pain.
Photo: First We Feast/Hot Ones Versus

Severance costars Patricia Arquette and Adam Scott faced off in a funny, face-melting hot chicken wing-eating contest Tuesday in a new video from the show Hot Ones Versus.

In the words of the show, “today, these co-stars will have two choices: Tell the truth, or suffer the wrath of the Last Dab. Whoever eats the most wings, loses!”

The wings are spicy enough for the show to call them “Wings of Death,” and their spicy pain showed in the actors’ suffering as well as the teeny, tiny little bites they took when they missed a question.

This one cable charges Apple Watch plus your other gear

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Nomad Universal Cable for Apple Watch
Nomad Universal Cable for Apple Watch charges your wearable and your Mac at once.
Photo: Nomad

When you need to juice up your iPhone and Apple Watch, a single cable isn’t going to do you much good… unless it’s the latest innovation from Nomad. The new Universal Cable for Apple Watch charges the wearable while also sending current to another USB-C device, like a MacBook or iPad.

It’s not quite like anything else on the market.

New Opera Air browser offers calm in online storm

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new Opera Air browser
Maybe take a break from doomscrolling and go for a zen moment on Opera Air.
Photo: Opera

The new Opera Air web browser brings meditation and mindfulness features directly to users, the Norway-based browser developer said Tuesday. The new browser’s approach to surfing the web combines Opera’s established browser technology with wellness tools typically found in dedicated meditation apps. Perhaps more traditional browsers like Safari and Chrome will follow suit.

“The web is beautiful but it can be chaotic and overwhelming,” said Mohamed Salah, Opera’s senior director of product. “We decided to look at science-backed ways to help our users navigate it in a way that makes them feel and function better.”

Get terabytes of storage on the cheap with speedy new SSD from PNY

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PNY PRO Elite V3
The PNY PRO Elite V3 might be the affordable external storage you’re looking for.
Photo: PNY

A new mobile SSD called the PNY Pro Elite V3 holds terabytes of data and can transfer that data at up to 1,000MB/s. But perhaps its standout feature is price: the 2TB variant comes in at just $145.

PNY also just introduced two other speedy USB-C drives that top out at 256GB — but cost less than $25.

Berlin ER brings the pain in a good way [Apple TV+ trailer]

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Berlin ER trailer
Apple TV+ calls it "gritty" repeatedly, and it really seems to be.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ trots out the word “gritty” in press materials that go with its gripping new trailer for Berlin ER, the upcoming German-language hospital drama formerly known as Krank Berlin. And for the first time, PR for the show seems to actually live up to that description.

The trailer makes the new series look raw, with a visceral realism about the harsh realities of an inner-city hospital that makes me want to watch it, even if I have to use subtitles (or maybe, ugh, dubbed English). The eight-episode series starts streaming on Apple TV+ February 26.

Plan a party with the new Apple Invites app

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Apple Invites app
“A new app that brings people together for life’s special moments,” according to Apple.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple is taking on Evites. On Tuesday, the company unveiled Apple Invites, an app that lets users share invitations and RSVP to events via iCloud+. Invited guests can add to a shared photo album and even contribute to the music playlist.

“With Apple Invites, an event comes to life from the moment the invitation is created, and users can share lasting memories even after they get together,” said Brent Chiu-Watson, Apple’s senior director of worldwide product marketing for Apps and iCloud, in a press release. “Apple Invites brings together capabilities our users already know and love across iPhone, iCloud, and Apple Music, making it easy to plan special events.”

MacBook Pro is just fine without OLED

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OLED MacBook? Why?
An OLED MacBook probably isn’t worth waiting for.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is undoubtedly working to upgrade the LCD in its MacBook Pro line with a beautiful OLED display. Rumors differ on exactly what that’ll happen though, and the wait stretches out years.

As someone who already uses another Apple computer with a large OLED, I have to say there’s no reason for Apple to hurry. MacBook Pro users really should not feel impatient.

Get six months of Apple Music for just under $3

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First-time Apple Music subscribers get just a 1-month free trial now (unless they bought an Apple device).
Apple Music's biggest offer gets you six month of subscription for less than $3!
Photo: Apple

For a limited time, Apple is running a promo offering six months of Apple Music subscription for just $2.99. That’s just $3 for six months, leading to substantial savings.

Without the promo, new Apple Music subscribers would have to pay $10.99 monthly for the streaming service.

Average iPhone selling price tops a whopping $900

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iPhone Series 16 day in photos
Shoppers bought heaps of iPhone Pro models in 2024.
Photo: Apple

 If you paid $900 for your iPhone, then you paid less than the global average, according to a new analysts’ report. That’s because the average selling price for iOS devices grew 25% over the last four years, even as the number of handsets Apple sold also increased.

There’s been a trend for several years of greater demand for Apple’s more expensive iPhone Pro models, and that’s driving up ASP. Apple continues to push innovation, including features like Adaptive Audio AirPods, which were recently highlighted in this Spike Jonze short film.

Sophie tangles with evil British aristocracy in Surface season 2 [Apple TV+ trailer]

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Surface season 2 trailer
Still searching for clues to her forgotten life, Sophie stumbles upon a scandal in British high society.
Photo: Apple TV+

In Surface season 2, amnesiac Sophie enters a whole new world in London on her search for lost memories. But she ends up embroiled in a British aristocratic scandal, tangling with people far more dangerous than they seem on the, er, surface, according the new trailer Apple TV+ dropped Monday.

The psychological thriller returns for its eight-episode second season on Apple TV+ Friday, February 21.

Get to know Kendrick Lamar before his Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

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Kendrick Lamar Road to Halftime
Apple offers many ways to get ready not for the game but for the halftime show with hip hop star Kendrick Lamar.
Photo: Apple Music

With hip-hop icon Kendrick Lamar taking center stage at the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show on February 9 at New Orleans, Apple kicked off the artist’s Road to Halftime festivities Monday.

“Throughout his career, Kendrick Lamar hasn’t met the cultural moment so much as he’s defined it,” said Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s global head of content and editorial. “He is an artist’s artist — authentic to his core. We couldn’t be more thrilled to watch him headline the third Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, in what’s sure to be another moment we’ll all be talking about for decades.”

Apple to drop multiyear AppleCare+ plans from retail stores

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AppleCare+ coverage for Apple products
AppleCare+ payment options will get a small but important tweak.
Photo: Apple

Apple reportedly will make a small change to AppleCare+ payments next week. Customers will no longer have the option to prepay for two or three years of AppleCare+ coverage at retail stores.

Instead, they can only purchase AppleCare+ annually or monthly through Apple Stores. The multiyear subscription plan is not going away, though.

Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds with heart-rate monitoring reportedly launch Feb. 11

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Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 coming in 2025
MLB star Shohei Ohtani wears the upcoming Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds during batting practice. You can wear them soon.
Photo: Beats

After months of teasing glimpses of Powerbeats Pro 2, the fitness-oriented wireless earbuds will launch next week, if a report from a generally reliable source proves accurate. The updated earbuds reportedly will mark a significant milestone for Apple — its first earbuds with built-in heart-rate monitoring. If you’re planning to use these earbuds with an Android device, you might find this guide on how to pair Powerbeats Pro to Android helpful.

This comes as Apple continues to expand its ecosystem, including new developments like Beats Fit Pro 2 that enhance user experience across devices.

Apple iCloud-based event planning service could launch this week

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iCloud Passwords land on Windows
A new iCloud service could make organizing events and parties easier.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly launching an iCloud-powered events and invite service called “Confetti” inside the company as soon as this week. The feature will enable users to invite their friends and families to upcoming parties and functions.

The move is part of Apple’s plan to revamp its Calendar app.

Bad news for Apple AR glasses, good news for CarPlay and Siri [The CultCast]

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AI-generated image of AR glasses with the word
Another big Apple project bites the dust.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulls the plug on a secret AR glasses project. What does this mean for Vision Pro?

Also on The CultCast:

  • Erfon discusses the pros and cons of the 13-inch iPad Pro.
  • Apple’s latest earnings call yields some astonishing factoids.
  • Apple still plans to fix Siri — and to roll out the delayed CarPlay 2.
  • We end with a laugh at one of the craziest iPhone cases we’ve ever seen.

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 live stream, embedded below.

Apple kills AR glasses project to focus on Vision Pro’s future

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Apple kills AR glasses project
Suddenly, Apple's AR glasses project goes the way of Apple Car.
Photo: Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech

In a significant shift in its augmented reality strategy, Apple suddenly discontinued development of its lightweight AR glasses project this week, according to a new report Friday. This marks another adjustment in the company’s pursuit of mainstream wearable technology. The project, known internally as N107, aimed to create normal-looking glasses with built-in displays that would connect to Mac computers.

New CalDigit hub sports more Thunderbolt 5 ports than any rival

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CalDigit Element 5 Hub with Thunderbolt 5
The CalDigit Element 5 Hub won’t crowd your desk but offers multiple Thunderbolt 5 ports.
Photo: CalDigit

The CalDigit Element 5 Hub includes four Thunderbolt 5 ports. That puts it ahead of all directly competing hubs, as these include only three ports with the latest super-fast networking standard.

And that’s not all. CalDigit’s latest includes nine ports in total, and offers up to 90W of power.