Anyone looking for new TV comedies to binge watch on a long holiday weekend shouldn’t miss the very positive reviews for Central Park and Trying on Apple TV+. Both shows debuted at the beginning of the summer, which means their entire first seasons are available now.
And while Ted Lasso is only halfway through its first season on Apple’s streaming service, it also has drawn praise from critics.
It’s officially Apple hardware season. With new gear coming as early as next week, the rumors and leaks are coming in fast and furious. Read the latest to get an idea what to expect in the near future from iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV and maybe even some high-end Apple headphones.
Get those rumors, plus the rest of the week’s top Apple news, how-tos and reviews, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it to read for free on your iPad or iPhone. Or scroll below to get the headlines in your browser.
Duncan Schultz, a government official from the land down under, started working from his home in Brisbane earlier this year. It turned out to be a great opportunity to upgrade his setup. He got rid of his 2015 iMac and instead bought himself a 2020 Mac mini and decided to experiment. He specced out his Mac mini with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. He wanted plenty of screen real estate without having two screens. So he connected it to a Samsung 43-inch 4K Smart TV and is not looking back.
Apple TV+ took over the Apple.com home page on Friday. And the company also released a lengthy video about a game recently added to Apple Arcade. These Apple services are seen as increasingly important to its bottom line. And the company is using new ways to advertise them.
Apple’s new statement on “Our Commitment to Human Rights” promises the company will make devices that respect human rights, including freedom of speech. But the company will also follow national laws.
Just-released World’s End Club happily mixes genres. It’s a side-scroller puzzle-action game and a story-adventure game… all at the same time.
The action starts when a group of Japanese school kids find themselves in a long-abandoned amusement park under the ocean. It just gets weirder from there.
Some iPhone owners are refusing to install Apple’s latest software update for fear of being tracked. iOS 13.7, which Apple released Tuesday, makes COVID-19 contact tracing easier for government health agencies to implement — but some people claim its true purpose is more sinister.
“Another step towards a totally surveillanced state,” said one iPhone user on Twitter — and many others continue to voice similar complaints and fears.
Facebook is rolling out new message-forwarding limits in an effort to cut down on the spread of misinformation.
A similar version of the feature, which ensures messages can be forwarded to only five people or groups at a time, is already available inside WhatsApp — another Facebook service.
Apple is supposedly prepping an iPhone with a screen that’s just 5.4 inches. A concept artist created a video that effectively demonstrates exactly how small that “iPhone 12 mini” will be.
Watch it now to see the rumored handset absolutely dwarfed by a 2020 iPhone SE.
Justin Tse is a video editor and popular tech YouTuber. As a video editor having plenty of screen space is paramount. That is why he uses a LG 5K2K 34-inch UltraWide Monitor. Since switching to the UltraWide he says he can’t go back.
Running the UltraWide is a 15-inch 2019 MacBook Pro. His MacBook is specced with maxed-out graphics and 32GB of RAM. Since he has a lot on his plate, the MacBook is great for mobility so he can work on the go.
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual is a deskto drive that offers up to 32 TB of storage capacity, and can transfer data at up to 1250 MBps.
Plus, there’s a 3-port USB-C hub built in, allowing the external drive to be part of a home office or small business.
Apple pushed back the release of a major privacy change previously coming in iOS 14. It would have required each iPhone application to specifically ask if it can track the user for advertising purposes.
Most people are expected to deny access, which would shake up the advertising business.
People don’t walk around announcing their recent purchases to strangers. Or yell out to the whole office what they think of their coworkers. Or reveal where they live to people on the street. But they do violate their own privacy in a new Apple video, created to point out that owning a rival smartphone is the digital equivalent of oversharing.
Watch it now:
Those who plan to upgrade to iPhone 12 for its 5G connectivity may need to be careful about which variant they choose this fall. A new report claims only one will offer the fastest 5G technology.
While all iPhone 12 units are said to feature Sub-6 5G capabilities, one source claims you’ll need to opt for the largest, most expensive model to also enjoy faster mmWave 5G.
New photos reveal an original Apple Watch prototype apparently used for internal testing before the wearable made its official debut in 2015.
The device is protected by a security case, which looks a little like an iPod nano, to disguise it during transportation. It also comes in a brown cardboard box marked “Apple Confidential.”
Apple on Thursday confirmed plans to expand its renewable energy footprint in Europe. Cupertino will invest in the world’s largest onshore wind turbines in Denmark and in new clean energy efforts in Germany.
The moves are part of Apple’s plan, announced last month, to become carbon neutral across its entire business and supply chain.
Mark Spurrell is a Canadian tech YouTuber who knows a thing or two about building productive setups. His rig is geared toward getting things done. The mainstay is a 2020 27-inch iMac, a total workhorse of a machine.
He uses a sit-stand SmartDesk 2 by Autonomous. This desk is awesome for long grinds, because when he is bored of sitting, he can get new scenery with the click of a button. When he does sit down, he sits in a Kinn Chair, also made by Autonomous. This chair is basically an adapted Herman Miller Embody, the gold-standard of ergonomic office chairs. But at $419, it costs less than a third of the price.
It will soon be possible for developers to give out codes to customers that bring discounts on subscription fees for software or services in the Apple App Store. The goal is to help app creators “acquire, retain, and win back subscribers” with these one-time use codes that people can then easily redeem, according to Apple.
A concept artist compiled the leaks, rumors and unconfirmed reports about the iPad Air 4 into a series of beautiful images.
This tablet could be unveiled as soon as next week, bringing a very significant redesign. These concept pictures give a sneak peek and what’s probably on the docket.
The Cult of Mac Store’s big back to school sale is coming to an end, but there’s still a little time left to save on stellar iPhone and Apple Watch accessories from Elago and Mujjo.
Pick up MacBook stands and keyboard covers, and great cases for iPhone, AirPods, and more at up to 72% off. Don’t miss out!
Ridley Scott, who directed Apple’s famous 1984 Super Bowl TV advertisement, is less than pleased with the parody version Epic Games released last month.
The original ad introduced the Apple Macintosh to the world. Epic Games’ version seeks to portray itself as the underdog in a legal fight with Apple over App Store policies.
The first trailer for upcoming Apple TV+ series Tehran delivers a healthy jolt of Homeland-style tension. The Israeli spy thriller, which centers on a female Mossad agent working undercover inside Iran, looks filled with dangerous scrapes, technical spycraft and some serious double-crosses.
Jodie Deinhammer wrote the book on using iPad in science classrooms. Literally.
The middle school teacher — and Apple Distinguished Educator — has been using tablets to teach since her district first equipped every student with an iPad in 2014. All that experience went into a new e-book for teachers.
Apple Watch’s next big refresh won’t land in September as recent reports have predicted, according to one reliable leaker. Fans could be waiting until October or November instead.
It is believed the iPhone 12 lineup will also launch later than usual this year as a result of production delays from COVID-19.
The seventh-generation iPod nano, Apple’s last model, will be added to the company’s list of “vintage” products later this month.
First introduced in 2015, the device was marketed as the thinnest iPod ever, with the ability to connect to Bluetooth headphones and speakers, a built-in FM radio tuner, and a 2.5-inch color display.