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M4 MacBook Pro allegedly unboxed weeks before release

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Leaked M4 MacBook Pro
Watch the M4 MacBook Pro getting unboxed weeks before its official unveiling. Maybe.
Photo: Wylsacom

An alleged unboxing video of the M4 MacBook Pro went live on YouTube over the weekend. The early hands-on, if real, shows that Apple’s next MacBook will pack impressive performance improvements over the M3 version.

The video supposedly reveals the M4 MacBook Pro’s specs, featuring a 10-core CPU, 16GB RAM, and an unchanged design but with a color twist.

Boost your Mac’s storage on the cheap during Samsung external SSD sale [Still going!]

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Samsung T9 portable SSD
The Samsung T9 SSD is small but holds terabytes of data.
Photo: Samsung

The Samsung T9 SSD is quick and it’s very portable. Plus, for a short time, it’s up to 45% off.  Opt for 1TB, 2TB or even 4TB of additional storage for your Mac or iPad.

For an even more affordable option, the older Samsung T7 series is available for as much as 44% off.

Today in Apple history: Michael Dell says he’d shut down Apple

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Steve Jobs took issue with Michael Dell's comments about Apple
Steve Jobs took issue with Michael Dell's comments about Apple
Photo: Oracle PR/Hartmann Studios/Flickr CC

October 6: Today in Apple history: Michael Dell says he'd shut down Apple October 6, 1997: Michael Dell makes an incredibly bleak appraisal of Apple’s fortunes. Asked what he would do with the struggling company, the founder of Dell Inc. says he would “shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

As incorrect forecasts go, this ultimately will go down as one of the more notable in tech history. But it doesn’t seem that way at the time.

Apple Intelligence AI-powered features could launch Oct. 28

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Apple Intelligence at WWDC24
After a big announcement in June, Apple Intelligence is right around the corner.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple’s big step into artificial intelligence is scheduled for this month, and a prediction from a generally reliable source may have just named the release date: October 28. This will reportedly be when new iOS, macOS and iPadOS versions usher in Apple Intelligence.

These AI capabilities were unveiled in June at the company’s developers conference and have been in public beta testing for weeks, so it’s now a waiting game for the full launch.

M4 Macs lead parade of upcoming Apple products [The CultCast]

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The CultCast episode 667 features discussion of M4 MacBook Pros
Sounds like new Macs will pop out of Tim Cook's magic pipeline in the very near future.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: If Apple does host a big October event, M4 Macs and iPads likely will steal the show. We talk about what to expect from the upcoming Apple products.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Other Apple gear is on a longer timeline, including iPhone SE 4, upgraded iPad Airs and a next-gen Vision Pro.
  • There’s also a rumored low-end smart display running a mysterious new operating system called “homeOS.”
  • And finally, Erfon gives us an in-depth, ears-on review of one week with AirPods 4. He’s not crazy about the fit, and the active noise cancellation is a mixed bag.

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.

Wolfs immediately becomes most popular film on streaming

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George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in Wolfs streaming on Apple TV+
George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in “Wolfs,” now drawing a crowd on Apple TV+.
Image: Apple TV+

The Apple TV+ team-up between George Clooney and Brad Pitt hit number one on a ratings company’s popularity chart the first week the film is available to stream.

It’s not surprising: the two superstars could probably take the leads in Uncle Wiggly and the Runaway Cheese and it would be a hit.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs dies at 56

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Steve Jobs, creator of the iPad and created on the iPad.
Steve Jobs leaves an enduring legacy at Apple.
Portrait: Jeremy Martin

October 5: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs dies at 56 October 5, 2011: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies at the age of 56 in his home in Palo Alto, California.

Jobs’ official cause of death is respiratory arrest arising from complications related to a rare type of pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed with cancer eight years earlier, and officially stepped down from his role as Apple CEO in August 2011, just weeks before his death.

Hands-on with the first 10 Apple Intelligence features

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Hands-On With Apple Intelligence
Here’s what Apple Intelligence is like in action.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple Intelligence makes its debut with 10 new features — and some of it is fantastic. Apple Intelligence has some genuinely impressive new features, and some of it will have a big impact on daily life.

Apple Intelligence is the name for Apple’s next-generation AI and machine learning-powered features that are coming to iPhone, iPad and Mac. These first 10 features are available in iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 right now. Some of the biggest features like Visual Intelligence, Image Playground and the all-new Siri aren’t here (and might not ship for a while) but Apple has still managed to make a good first impression.

Here’s what you can expect. Keep reading or watch our video to see it in action.

Quickly change file formats for free with Movavi’s Online Video Converter

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Image showing features of Online Video Converter by Movavi
Whether you shot the video or not, sometimes it's just in the wrong file format.
Image: Movavi

When you need to convert a video to a different file format, what’s a quick, easy way to do it? Movavi’s free Online Video Converter. This incredibly intuitive tool makes the tedious task simple.

And if you need to convert really big video files, or edit them, Movavi’s desktop converter software can help. More than 70 million users in more than 190 countries enjoy software from Movavi, which turned 20 years old in 2024.

Find out how to use the free online video converter below.

New Aqara Smart Lock U300 brings Home Key to more doors

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Aqara Smart Lock U300
Introduced at CES in January, the new Aqara Smart Lock 300 is now on sale at a 20% discount.
Photo: Aqara

The new lever-based Smart Lock U300 brings Apple Home Key functionality to a wider range of doors you might want to unlock with your iPhone or Apple Watch, including those without traditional deadbolts, Aqara said Thursday. It previewed the lock back at CES in January. Now it’s finally on sale — with a nice launch discount (see below).

Soundcore Space One Pro headphones score with cush comfort, epic battery life [Review] ★★★★

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Soundcore Space One Pro headphones review★★★★
Despite all the plastic, Soundcore Space One Pro cans look pretty nice. And the comfort level is off the charts.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

The new Soundcore Space One Pro wireless noise-canceling headphones generated some buzz in the audio community, promising top-notch sound quality and advanced features for a typically reasonable price from Anker’s audio brand. Keen to see if they’d live up to expectations, I tried them out. And I found that they’re great at the list price of $200. But when the price dips — and it usually does — they’ll become an absolutely fantastic value. Read my Soundcore Space One Pro headphones review below for more information.

Disguise your AI writing to make it sound totally human

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Screenshot showing Undetectable Humanizer with the words
Make your AI-generated writing sound ... human!
Image: Cult of Mac Deals

AI writing tools work wonders, but AI detectors can flag your content if it leans too heavily on robo-prose. If you want your AI writing to be undetectable, you must edit all that content yourself, but it takes time to add the human touch. Sometimes, there just isn’t room in the schedule, but that’s OK. There’s a robot for that, too. You can use an AI humanizer like Undetectable Humanizer.

The Undetectable Humanizer transforms your AI-generated text into natural, human-like prose to help it bypass AI detection systems. This tool is a great get for writers, content creators and business owners who need to save as much time as they can when creating engaging content. A lifetime subscription to this effective AI humanizer is on sale now for $139.99 (regularly $2,880).

Today in Apple history: Siri debuts on iPhone 4s

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Apple envisioned an AI helper like Siri way back in the late 1980s.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

October 4: Today in Apple history: Siri debuts on iPhone 4s October 4, 2011: With the unveiling of the iPhone 4s, Apple introduces the world to Siri.

A groundbreaking example of artificial intelligence in action, Siri’s debut fulfills a long-term dream at Apple. In fact, the company first predicted such a feature in the 1980s — with the Siri launch coming at almost the exact month Apple envisioned.

iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 13 comparison: Upgrade if you can

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iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 13 comparison
Time to ditch your iPhone 13 for iPhone 16?
Photo/Graphics: Apple/Rajesh Pandey

If you own an iPhone 13, should you upgrade to the iPhone 16 for its faster performance, better cameras and Apple Intelligence support? Or should you wait another year?

Three years is a long time in the tech world. The iPhone 13 launched in 2021 with cutting-edge specs. But in 2024, it is showing its age, especially when compared to the iPhone 16. Find out if this is the year to upgrade in our in-depth buying guide, which pits iPhone 16 versus iPhone 13.

iPhone SE 4’s in-house Apple 5G modem could deliver major power savings

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iPhone SE 4 rumors
iPhone SE 4 will be a big upgrade over the iPhone SE 3.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s next iPhone SE might use the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16 and 8GB RAM. It will also use the same cameras as the iPhone 15.

The upcoming iPhone SE 4 will reportedly sport a new design that will see Apple ditch the physical Home button. It will also stand out for being the first product in Apple’s portfolio to use its in-house 5G modem.

First iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 patches fix serious bugs

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iOS 18.0.1 removes a headline-making bug
iOS 18.0.1 removes a bug that irritated many iPhone 16 users.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple released iOS 18.0.1 on Thursday to fix an annoying bug that made the touchscreen unresponsive on iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. The new iPadOS 18.0.1 corrects several problems, too, including one that bricked some M4 iPad Pro units when installing the original iPadOS 18 version.

In addition, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1 and visionOS 2.0.1 also arrived Thursday with minor bug fixes.

Easily track PlugBug wall charger with built-in Find My support [Review] ★★★★

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Twelve South PlugBug 50 Review★★★★
You'll always be able to find the Twelve South PlugBug 50.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Twelve South PlugBug is the first power supply to support Apple’s Find My technology. That means the USB-C wall charger can be located with an iPhone app, and it warns its owner if it’s being left behind in a coffee shop or hotel room.

One version includes a pair of ports and puts out 50W. A second has four USB-C ports and 120W.

I put PlugBug through real-world testing, and came out loving it.

New Oura Ring 4 enhances comfort and dynamic health sensing

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Oura Ring 4
Oura Ring 4 enhances comfort and health sensing over Oura Ring 3. But where is Apple's smart ring?
Photo: Oura

The new Oura Ring 4, with a sleek and subtle design and improved health sensing, is now available for preorders, ŌURA said Thursday. Shipping of the new smart ring — which is sure to spark a new round of speculation on when Apple will launch its own — begins October 15.

“The next-generation Oura Ring 4, reimagined Oura App, and the development of the Smart Sensing platform represent significant steps forward for wearables across accuracy, comfort, personalization and design,” said ŌURA CEO Tom Hale.

NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition hits the basketball court

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NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition doesn't skimp on graphics or features.
NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition doesn't skimp on graphics or features.
Photo: Apple Arcade

NBA preseason games start this weekend. If you didn’t make the draft this year, you can still get in on the basketball action with NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition, which launched Thursday. This is the definitive basketball game for Apple devices, and each new annual upgrade adds even more features.

The feature-packed offering is now on Apple Arcade for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

Today in Apple history: CEO Michael Spindler denies Apple is a ‘lame duck’

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Apple CEO Michael Spindler headed the company during trying times in the 1990s.
Apple faced big challenges during the Michael Spindler era.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

October 3: Today in Apple history: CEO Michael Spindler denies Apple is a 'lame-duck company' October 3, 1994: Apple CEO Michael Spindler reassures the world that Apple “is not a lame-duck company.”

Why would anyone suspect that it is? The answer lies in collapsing Mac sales, massive layoffs and Apple’s $188 million quarterly loss. At 15 months into his stint as CEO, Spindler wants to reassure everyone that the worst is over.

Sadly, things will decline further before they start to turn around.

Pair faces 20 years in jail over iPhone fraud scheme [Updated]

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Fake iPhone fraud scheme
Take note: Trying to trade in 5,000 fake iPhones for real ones might not work.
Photo: Photo: Donald Tong/Pexels CC

A federal jury found two Chinese men living in Maryland guilty Tuesday in a fake iPhone fraud scheme. They attempted to defraud Apple in a $3 million scheme to replace fake iPhones with real ones, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said.

Haotian Sun and Pengfei Xue’s mail fraud convictions carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

UPDATE: Five years after their arrest, Sun was sentenced to 57 months in prison and Xue was sentenced to 54 months in prison, according to Justice.gov, for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud. And the judge ordered Sun to serve three years of supervised release and pay $1,072,000 in restitution. Judge Kelly ordered Xue to serve three years of supervised release and pay $397,800 in restitution.