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.
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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 likeBeats Fit Pro 2 that enhance user experience across devices.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Vision Pro can replace lots of expensive screens in surgery and elsewhere in healthcare. Photo: Sharp HealthCare
Health care leaders from 10 countries gathered in San Diego Thursday to explore Apple’s Vision Pro for surgery and other medical uses, and especially how it can further transform medical procedures and patient care, according to a new report.
The 300-person summit, hosted by Sharp HealthCare, marks another milestone in the device’s adoption by medical institutions since its 2024 launch, almost exactly a year ago. While broader public discussion of the headset tends to pine for a cheaper version, health care pros seem over the moon about how cheap $3,500 per unit is compared to their usual gear.
Apple Intelligence will soon get a major international expansion. Photo: Apple
Apple’s rollout of Apple Intelligence has been slow. The AI suite debuted with iOS 18.1 but initially launched in only a limited number of markets and languages.
Since then, the company has expanded support to more regions and languages, but there is still significant ground to cover. This April, the company will further accelerate its efforts and expand Apple Intelligence’s availability to more languages.
Some of Apple's impressive numbers are so large, it's hard to wrap your head around them. AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
We went through Apple CEO Tim Cook’s earnings call with investors on Thursday, and found some genuine surprises during the discussion of the financial results of the holiday 2024 quarter. We also turned up impressive figures showing just how well the company is doing.
Financial details don’t have to be boring. Here are the high points from the call as quickly and as interesting as we can make them.
Apple squeaks past Wall Street estimates by delivering "all-time records for total company revenue and EPS." AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
Wall Street analysts set an ambitious goal for Apple to beat by predicting the iPhone maker’s revenue had increased 4% during the critical holiday shopping season. No problem — Apple met or exceeded those expectations.
“Today Apple is reporting our best quarter ever, with revenue of $124.3 billion, up 4 percent from a year ago,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We were thrilled to bring customers our best-ever lineup of products and services during the holiday season.” Meanwhile,Apple Watch news has been making headlines, highlighting significant shifts in market trends.
You don't need to be at the big game to suffer excess noise exposure. Photo: Pixlr Image Generator
Noise on Super Bowl Sunday (February 9 this year) increases throughout the United States, almost everywhere, according to new Apple Hearing Study research findings this week from Apple and the University of Michigan.
The findings highlight the importance of being mindful about noise exposure during major sporting events, even when watching from home. Even those not at the big game get exposed to higher levels of noise, often for several hours, and all the more so at boisterous public viewings in bars or at parties. And that could factor into hearing loss for some, researchers indicated.
Analysts expect big things when Apple announces its earnings Thursday. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Financial analysts predict Apple revenue increased 4% during the all-important 2024 holiday quarter versus the same period of the previous year. Wall Street also expects a jump in Apple’s earnings per share. We’ll find out whether the iPhone maker met these expectations when Apple reveals its Q1 2025 financial results after the U.S. markets close Thursday afternoon.
For a remarkable 18th year in a row, Apple is the world's most admired company. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
In a remarkable display of sustained corporate excellence by a certain iPhone giant, Fortune magazine named Apple the world’s most admired company for the 18th year in a row on Wednesday. The winning streak began in 2006 — a year before the iPhone first came out, and went on to dominate the market, propelling Apple to new heights.
With a 40,000mAh battery and 300 watts of total charging power, CukTech 30 dominates. Photo: CukTech
For Apple users seeking a high-capacity portable power solution for all their gear, the new CukTech 30 Power Bank packs a massive 40,000mAh battery, combined charging power of up to 300 watts for up to five devices at once and some useful features, the company said Wednesday.
The MLS season starts soon, and that means Messi is back! Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
T-Mobile customers don’t have to pay to enjoy the 2025 soccer season. They get an MLS Apple TV subscription with their wireless service at no extra cost.
The soccer season kicks off on February 22, so don’t waste time if you plan to switch carriers to take advantage of the deal. Check out what’s new in thefirst look at iPhone 17 Air’s alleged design.
Now you can get a whole season of a show from Netflix on your iPhone or iPad with a tap. Photo: Brad Gibson/Cult of Mac
Netflix introduced a new “Season Download” button in its app Wednesday that allows iPhone and iPad users to download entire seasons of their favorite shows with a single tap. That streamlines offline viewing for iOS users, who previously had to download episodes individually.