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How to use MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar on an external display

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How to use Touch Bar on any Mac
Don't lose your Touch Bar when your MacBook Pro is closed.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you’ve grown to love your MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar and all the tools and shortcuts it provides, you likely miss it when you have your machine hooked up to an external display. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here’s how to bring the Touch Bar to any screen so that you can continue to use it even when your MacBook Pro is closed.

8 reasons to totally love the 2021 iPad Pro [Review]

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7 reasons to totally love the 2021 iPad Pro [Review]
The Liquid Retina XDR display in the 12.9-inch version of the 2021 iPad Pro displays movies better than many TVs.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There’s so much to love about the 2021 iPad Pro. There’s a better screen, a faster processor and many other enhancements. As a long-term iPad user, I put the Apple’s latest to the test. And there’s a lot here to like.

Previous iPad Pro models were already the best tablets on the market. So Apple had to really stretch to make something that surpassed them by this much.

How to fix a frozen MacBook Pro Touch Bar without rebooting

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How to fix a frozen MacBook Pro Touch Bar
Restart your Touch Bar in an instant.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Whatever your opinion may be on the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, there’s no denying it comes in handy from time to time. Except when it freezes — which can be a common occurrence — and then it’s no use at all.

You might reboot your MacBook Pro to get its Touch Bar working again when this happens. But there is a quicker, much less disruptive fix. Here’s how to restart your Touch Bar without rebooting your Mac.

The Mosquito Coast ratchets up the tension in Mexico City [Apple TV+ review]

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The Mosquito Coast review on Apple TV+: Things keep getting dicier for the Fox family.
Things keep getting dicier for the Fox family.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Foxes hit Mexico City this week on The Mosquito Coast, the simmering new Apple TV show about a family off the grid and on the run. They’re fugitives, but that doesn’t stop them from becoming tourists, with all that entails.

This week’s episode, titled “Elvis, Jesus, Coca-Cola,” tightens the noose around the criminal family of four, while showing off the wider world they’ve been missing out on.

How to enable and use Reachability on iPhone in iOS 14

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How to enable Reachability
Reachability makes even the largest iPhone models easy to use one-handed.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Reachability remains alive and well in iOS 14 — even if you have an iPhone without a Home button. The feature, which makes even the largest iPhone models easier to operate with one hand, is super-simple to use with just a quick flick of the thumb.

However, Reachability is disabled by default, so you’ll need to turn it on. Here’s how to enable and use Reachability in the latest iPhone firmware.

What does it take to freeze an M1 MacBook Air? [Setups]

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3D games, video editing, a million browser tabs -- how would you try to jam up a MacBook Air M1?
3D games, video editing, a million browser tabs -- how would you try to jam up a MacBook Air M1?
Photo: Typical_Andrew@Reddit

If you owned a new MacBook Air with an M1 chip and 16GB of unified memory, how much would you have to do at once for it to freeze, bringing up the spinning beach ball of death?

Redditor Typical_Andrew had a run at that.

Trying returns for a second unbearable blast of blandness [Apple TV+ review]

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There is not nearly enough Imelda Staunton on this season of Trying
We don't get nearly enough Imelda Staunton this season.
Photo: Apple TV+

No one’s favorite young parents-to-be return for another go-round in Trying, the maddening Apple TV+ show about the travails of a British couple who really want children.

Unfortunately, the show’s second season, which debuts Friday, proves just as exhausting and depressing as its first.

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything is a bloated boomer yawn [Apple TV+ review]

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The Staples Singers in 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Even the Staples Singers can't save this nostalgia-riddled mess.
Photo: Apple TV+

With 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything, Apple TV+ tried to buy itself a Ken Burns-style documentary about the potent cultural impact of rock and soul. Unfortunately, the eight-episode documentary series, which premieres Friday, proves so low-energy it will put you to sleep.

This deceptively “comprehensive” look at a single year in music history proves as scatterbrained and toothless as a school project. The impression it leaves is not that 1971 really changed everything, but that no one is even remotely willing to admit that their favorite bands really aren’t that interesting.

Why it pays for startup founders to use iMessage blue bubbles

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iMessage
Blue bubbles good. Green bubbles bad. Or something.
Photo: Killian Bell's Peartree Productions/Cult of Mac

Considering that blue and green aren’t too far apart on the color spectrum, the difference between sending blue bubble messages and green bubble messages is pretty stark. The former, of course, means that the user is sending an iMessage, while the latter is a generic SMS, probably from an Android device.

For years, a certain segment of the population have mocked the green bubble crowd — with the gist being that a green bubble sender must have something wrong with them if they don’t own an iPhone. In a recent tweet, the CEO of a popular startup noted something else: That green bubble startup founders may have a tougher time landing investment.

“Unfortunate reality: if you don’t have iMessage, you are less likely to succeed at work,” Joshua Browder, the CEO of legal tech firm DoNotPaytweeted this week. “The blue bubbles build trust!”

Logitech iPad Pro keyboard case offers big trackpad without Bluetooth hassles [Review]

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Logitech Combo Touch review
The Logitech Combo Touch includes a well-designed iPad Pro keyboard and trackpad. And it looks great.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Logitech Combo Touch combines an iPad Pro case with a kickstand and removable keyboard. It sets itself apart from the crowd with a large trackpad and using the Smart Connector rather than Bluetooth.

I brought this keyboard case into my daily work life for most of a week. I also compared it to the Apple Magic Keyboard. Here’s why I like it.

Apple TV 4K review roundup: The new Siri Remote makes all the difference

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Apple TV 4K reviews: Finally more than a hobby?
Finally more than a hobby?
Photo: Apple

Apple once labelled the Apple TV a “hobby.” Now, six generations down the line, it’s proven it’s longevity as an interest for Apple. But is it the “must-have” streaming box the company has long promised?

With the review embargoes having lifted for the 2021 Apple TV 4K, it seems like Apple may have finally cracked the formula. And all it took were some neat upgrades and switching out that darn Siri Remote for something a whole lot better.

Here’s what the inaugural reviews had to say:

How to download the Opera GX browser beta on iPhone and iPad

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How to download Opera GX beta on iPhone and iPad
Start testing Opera GX today.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Gaming-focused web browser Opera GX is on its way to iPhone and iPad, almost two years after its initial debut. It comes with a customizable interface, the ability to sync with Opera GX on desktop, and ad blocking.

The browser also offers a number of unique features aimed at gamers, like GX Corner, which highlights gaming news and deals. Anyone can download and try out the Opera GX beta today. We’ll show you how.

How to put a missing AirTag into Lost Mode

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How to enable Lost Mode for AirTag
Putting an AirTag into Lost Mode means others know how to contact you if they find it.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

AirTag’s diminutive size and lack of ability to attach to anything out of the box means that it’s ironically easy to lose. Locating one that goes missing shouldn’t be too difficult, but if yours is proving hard to find, you might want to put it into Lost Mode.

If your AirTag is found by someone else, it will be possible for them to contact you and return your device — and anything it might be attached to — if it’s in Lost Mode. We’ll show you how to use it.

AirPods might offer lossless Apple Music after software update

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AirPods Max are available to order for $549.
Perhaps AirPods will be able to play Apple Music’s new lossless option.
Photo: Apple

There’s hope for AirPods users unhappy that the new Apple Music lossless option won’t work on their wireless headphones. Tipster Jon Prosser said on Wednesday that Apple will introduce a software update that will allow the earbuds to play lossless audio. Supposedly, AirPlay and Wi-Fi are just waiting to be enabled in AirPods.

AssistiveTouch lets users control Apple Watch by clenching a fist

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AssistiveTouch lets users control Apple Watch by clenching their fists.
AssistiveTouch lets users control Apple Watch by clenching their fists.
Photo: Apple

Apple plans to release software updates this year that will make its devices far easier to use for people with mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive disabilities.

The features include AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, which offers astonishing new ways for people with limited mobility to control the smartwatch without tapping its screen. The new feature uses Apple Watch’s array of sensors to interpret the wearer’s movement into interactions.

Cupertino showcased AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch — which lets users maneuver a cursor on the wearable’s screen simply by clenching their fist and pinching their fingers together, among other things — in a remarkable video. (We embedded the video below — definitely watch it.)

But AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch is just the beginning of Apple’s latest big push into accessibility.

How to block ads in Microsoft Edge for iPhone and iPad

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How to block ads in Microsoft Edge
For cleaner, more responsive browsing.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Microsoft Edge has some nice advantages over Safari on iPhone and iPad — especially if you typically use Windows on your desktop. But just like other third-party browsers, it can’t play nicely with content blockers.

However, Edge does have a built-in ad blocker on iOS and iPadOS. And in this guide, we’ll show you how to enable it.

Before-and-after pics: Guess which one has the steno machine [Setups]

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Note the stenography machine in the foreground of this
Note the stenography machine in the foreground of this "after" photo.
Photo: yyzgal@Reddit

In the before-and-after pics of Reddit user yyzgal’s dual-monitor/MacBook Pro setup, guess which one has the stenography machine? Trick question. They both have it.

And it’s what most Redditors admiring the new-and-improved setup wanted to talk about in the comments section of yyzgal’s setup post. Well, that and the Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Puck hidden behind the laptop in the setup’s “after” photo (above).

2021 iPad Pro review roundup: Beautifully fast

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2021 iPad Pro with m1 processor
Reviewers shared their real-world experiences with the M1 processor and the mini-LED screen in the 2021 iPad Pro.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The 2021 iPad Pro successfully combines a gorgeous display with a blazing-fast M1 processor, according to the first wave of reviews published Wednesday.

Chris Velazco from Engadget said, “this might be the best portable computer Apple has ever made.”

Apple Watch Series 7 might feature flat-edged design, green color option [Updated]

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Apple Watch Series 7 concept
This is Apple Watch Series 7, according to tipster Jon Prosser. Highlights include flat edges and a new color.
Concept: Jon Prosser/RendersbyIan

The next-gen Apple Watch could get a huge makeover, with a new, flat-edged design and a green option reminiscent of the AirPods Max.

The redesign would bring Apple Watch into line with the flatter design language and form factor of current-gen Apple products including the iPhone 12, iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple tipster Jon Prosser revealed the info about the upcoming wearable, likely to be marketed as Apple Watch Series 7, on an episode of his Genius Bar podcast with Sam Kohl.

GameSir G4 Pro is the cross-platform game controller you’re looking for [Review]

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GameSir G4 Pro review
GameSir G4 Pro game controller can be used with iPhone and Android devices. And iPad and PC too. Plus Nintendo Switch.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The GameSir G4 Pro is a wireless game controller that works with iPhone and iPad but also PC, Android and Switch. It resembles a wireless Xbox controller but with a flip-out mount for holding an iPhone.

I did quite a bit of gaming with the G4 Pro. Here’s how it stood up.

What you need to enjoy amazing lossless audio on Apple Music

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What you need for lossless audio on Apple Music
AirPods simply won't cut it.
Image: Cult of Mac

Apple will roll out lossless audio and Dolby Atmos support on Apple Music next month, and the upgrades will come at no additional cost to subscribers. But they do have one rather significant caveat.

High-resolution lossless tracks can’t be enjoyed on AirPods — not even the $549 AirPods Max. So what can you enjoy them on? We’ll explain everything you need to make the most of Apple Music’s big changes.

Redesigned MacBook Pro could arrive this summer, larger iMac in the works

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13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 boasts amazing speed and battery life.
The next MacBook Pro sounds like a winner.
Screenshot: Apple

A redesigned MacBook Pro could hit Apple Store shelves as early as this summer, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

It will come in 14- and 16-inch screen sizes, with a redesigned chassis, MagSafe charger, next-gen M-series chip and the return of the HDMI port and SD card reader. The last time Apple released a new MacBook Pro was November 2020.

M1 iMac review roundup: Fast, thin and oh-so-cool

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24-inch iMac with M1 processor released in 2021
A stunner of a computer.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s debut M1 iMac is a winner, according to the first wave of reviews that arrived Tuesday. The first iMac redesign since 2012 earns praise for its ultra-thin looks, its gorgeous 4.5K display and its M1-powered performance.

T3 hails it as “the world’s coolest desktop.” While it seems likely that other, better M1 Macs will follow — especially for power users who need a bit more oomph — the new 24-inch iMac certainly lives up to the hype.

Apple preps Beats Studio Buds to compete against AirPods

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Apple preps Beats Studio Buds to compete against AirPods
Apple could soon offer AirPods and Beats Studio Buds to rival each other.
Photo: 9to5Mac

In a brewing Apple vs. Apple battle, the iPhone-maker is reportedly working on Beats Studio Buds — a pair of in-ear wireless headphones with a lot in common with AirPods.

The odd circumstance comes because the company releases headphones under its own brand and also under the Beats brand.