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$199 ‘AirPods Lite’ could be like AirPods Pro but without active noise cancellation

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AirPods Pro with black background discounts
"AirPods Lite" could use the AirPods Pro design, but with one of the big features missing.
Photo: Apple

If the new $549 AirPods Max or the $249 AirPods Pro are a bit pricey for you, don’t worry: According to a new report, Apple plans to launch new “AirPods Lite” wireless earbuds in 2021, priced significantly lower.

The new model would look similar to the current AirPods Pro, but would not include the active noise cancellation feature found in Apple’s top-of-the-line wireless earbuds.

Apple Fitness+ review: First impressions from a fitness fanatic

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Apple Fitness+ review: With 10 types of workouts, there's something for nearly everyone.
I let Apple Fitness+ test me to the limit, so I could test it to the limit.
Photo: Apple

Apple Fitness+ only came online yesterday, but I’ve already logged 10 workouts with it. I let Cupertino’s new subscription service put me through my paces, so I could put it through its paces to bring you this review.

I’m a qualified personal trainer and a fitness fanatic who trains hard every day. So I was curious to find out if Apple Fitness+ could give me a challenging workout.

Strong demand for iPhone 12, new Apple TV on the way in 2021

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iPhone 12 Pro Shiny sides
The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are proving particularly popular.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 12 is seemingly shaping up to be a massive winner for Apple, with a Tuesday report claiming that Apple is set to produce between 20% and 30% more handsets than it did last year.

The report says that Apple has plans to produce up to 230 million iPhones in 2021. While that also includes older handsets like the iPhone 11 and SE, it is primarily driven by “demand for [Apple’s] first-ever 5G” phones, according to Nikkei.

Apple owes us a dedicated Apple TV+ app

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Apple owes us a dedicated Apple TV+ app
An updated Apple TV app makes it easier to find Apple TV+ original shows and movies. Slightly easier.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The Apple TV app tries to do too much. It tries to be too much. And this lack of focus damages the Apple TV+ streaming service. Still, a design change in iOS 14.3 and the iPad equivalent makes it just a little bit easier for subscribers to find Apple TV+ shows and movies.

The small tweak doesn’t go far enough, though. It’s only a tiny step in the right direction. What’s truly needed is a dedicated Apple TV+ app.

Cardio Fitness: What Apple’s new health metric means and how you can use it

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Most of the interesting stuff in your body happens in your core, not on your wrist.
Most of the interesting stuff in your body happens in your core, not on your wrist.
Photo illustration: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple’s VOmax metric measures the performance of your heart and lungs when you push yourself to the limit. Up until now, though, it’s only been useful to serious fitness fanatics. No wonder Apple buried it in the Health app, where most users never found it.

But watchOS 7.2 and iOS 14.3, which Apple released Monday, change all that. In those updates, the VOmax metric has been renamed Cardio Fitness. Now it can detect lower ranges and send alerts when the reading gets too low. That makes it the latest in a series of potentially life-saving health notifications from Apple Watch.

Here’s everything you need to know to get the benefit of this essential new feature.

Apple rolls out big updates for iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch

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Monday brought iOS 14.3, iPadOS 14.3, macOS Big Sur 11.1, watchOS 7.2 and more.
There are operating system updates for iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.
Photo: Apple

It’s a big day for Apple fans — there are software updates for iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

With an update, iPhone 12 Pro gets support for Apple’s new ProRAW image format. And all iPhone and iPads display new privacy info about third-party apps.

But primarily, the new versions are about adding support for AirPods Max and Apple Fitness+ to a range of operating systems. And bug fixes too.

Wolfwalkers is the best animated film of the year [Apple TV+ review]

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Apple TV+ enters the world of auteur animation with new animated film Wolfwalkers.
Apple TV+ enters the world of auteur animation with new animated film Wolfwalkers.
Image: Apple TV+

Wolfwalkers, the animated movie that arrives on Apple TV+ today, is the best animated film of 2020. A fiery mix of folklore and feminism, it’s one of the most astonishing works of visual art you’re likely to see this year.

It comes from the makers of gorgeous animated features The Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner — and it marks their strongest work to date.

This tiny charger powers Mac, iPhone and Apple Watch at once [Review]

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Minix Neo P1 review
A pair of USB-C ports and a USB-A one provide up to 66W of power for your electronics.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Minix Neo P1 uses gallium nitride to pack three powerful USB ports into a tiny wall charger. It can provide up to 66W to an iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch or other gear. And the power adapter is made for travel, with fold-down prongs and adapters for a wide variety of countries.

I tested the Neo P1 with a variety of devices. Here’s how it stood up.

Glass top lets you see all 16 coils inside this insane wireless charger [Review]

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Zens-Liberty-1
The Zens Liberty charges iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Wireless chargers don’t get much cooler than the new Liberty from Zens. Available with a tempered glass surface that lets you see all 16 of its copper charging coils, it tops up iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch simultaneously.

It’s probably the only wireless charger you’ll ever need, and it does its job brilliantly. It’s like an AirPower you can actually buy.

Water-resistance, U1 chip, swappable bands are just a few things MIA from AirPods Max

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Internal components of AirPods Max spaced out horizontally.
AirPods Max pack in plenty of impressive tech, but some stuff didn't make it.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s U1 chip, allowing for devices to more accurately connect to others nearby using ultra-wideband technology, is MIA in Apple’s pricey new $549 AirPods Max headphones.

The chip, which Apple introduced in 2019 with the iPhone 11, was rumored to show up in the AirPods Max. But according to a tweet by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple had to scrap a number of big features it planned to include in the high-end headphones it launched Tuesday.

Apple’s autonomous car unit gets a new driver

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The Apple Car won‘t look anything like this. At all.
The Apple autonomous vehicle project is now part of the company’s AI division.
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Apple’s self-driving car division is reportedly on the move, but not in the usual way. The project has been transferred into Apple’s artificial intelligence division.

The reorg comes at the retirement of Bob Mansfield, who’d been managing the company’s not-so-secret autonomous vehicle development.

Mix and match AirPods Max ear cushions for cool color combos

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AirPods Max red and black
This red and black AirPods Max color combo isn’t available from Apple, but you can make it yourself.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Those with very deep pockets can make their AirPods Max colors even more personalized. Ear cushions for the headphones are replaceable and come in a variety of hues. They sure aren‘t cheap, though.

But save some money for a charger, because there’s no power adapter in the box.

That weird AirPods Max case gives jokesters plenty of ammo

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AirPods Max or AirPods Bra. You decide. The internet happily points out the ... quirks in the AirPods Max design.
The internet happily points out the ... quirks in the AirPods Max design.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

After Apple unveiled AirPods Max this morning, the internet jumped quickly into mockery mode. The pricey over-the-ears headphones come with a case that lots of jokesters think looks like a bra.

And that’s just the start.

AirPods Max: Apple’s new over-ear headphones look fantastic but mighty pricey

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AirPods Max are available to order for $549.
AirPods Max, the first over-the-ear headphones sold under the Apple brand, combine a custom acoustic design with Apple H1 chips and advanced software.
Photo: Apple

Apple expanded its popular AirPods lineup Tuesday, unveiling a new over-the-ear model dubbed AirPods Max.

The high-end headphones promise to deliver “the magic of AirPods” in an all-new design. They boast high-fidelity, spatial audio and active noise cancellation like AirPods Pro. And they come in five colors. They’re available to order today, priced at $549.

Apple Fitness+ launches on December 14

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Apple Fitness+ will whip you into shape starting December 14.
Apple Fitness+ will whip you into shape starting Monday.
Photo: Apple

Apple Fitness+, Apple’s $9.99-a-month subscription workout service built around Apple Watch, will launch December 14.

The service will launch with 10 workout types. These include High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Strength, Yoga, Dance, Core, Cycling, Treadmill (for running and walking), Rowing and Mindful Cooldown. The sessions are led by an elite team of fitness experts we profiled here.

Interesting Apple Watch concept totally rethinks a basic feature

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An Apple Watch concept gets complications out of the way
What if your Apple Watch face was pristine because the complications were hidden out of the way?
Screenshot: A Better Computer

Apple Watch offers watch faces that’s do much more than tell time. But a user thinks the extra snippets of information — called complications — junk up the appearance of the wearable. They created an Apple Watch concept that moves them off the display and onto the pop-up window that’s currently the Control Center.

After mocking Apple, Samsung stops including chargers with phones

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No Samsung charger for you!
Samsung buyers could soon wave goodbye to a free wireless charger and headphones.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Samsung is copying Apple again. The Galaxy S21 series reportedly will not come with a wall charger or a pair of headphones when the new top-tier handset debuts in January.

This despite Samsung mocking Apple in October for leaving these accessories out of the iPhone 12 box.

We talk Apple’s incoming hardware drop plus insane M1 Mac mini performance on The CultCast

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CultCast 469
There's nothing small about Mac mini's performance!

This week on The CultCast: Get your wallets ready, Apple reportedly has a mysterious hardware release planned for December 8! We discuss. Plus: The M1 Mac mini is an unstoppable monster, and we’ve got more insane benchmarks to drool over. Seriously, do not waste your money on anything but an M1 Mac.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Feast your eyes on Earth at Night in Color [Apple TV+ review]

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The Earth At Night in Color
Brace yourself for an unequaled eyeful of nature.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ steps up its nature doc game again with Earth at Night in Color. Exciting, beautiful and cute, the show is as easy to watch as it is cumbersome to say.

Narrated by Tom Hiddleston, the series looks at parts of the natural world previously only revealed in grainy and intense night vision. It’s as exciting and revealing as anyone could hope for.

Stillwater will teach kids how to avoid meltdowns [Apple TV+ review]

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Apple TV+'s newest animated series Stillwater
A talking bear teaches kids life lessons in this new Apple TV+ show.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ continues its inspired streak of children’s fare with an adaptation of Jon J Muth’s Zen storytelling book series. Stillwater takes the central character from those books, a stoic and wise panda, and pits him against the foibles of three young kids.

Stillwater, which lands on Apple TV+ today, feels like a kind of classic PBS kids cartoon. It’s all about trying to prepare pipsqueaks for life’s disappointments by teaching them how to shift their perspective — and understand that some of life is beyond our control. There’s an awful lot to enjoy in this one.