For digital artists, illustrators and anyone with a passion for creating art, Paintstorm Studio is a versatile toolkit. With a lifetime license, you gain access to an intuitive, high-powered painting app for Mac and Windows, without the hassle of monthly subscriptions.

Designed for professional artists but priced for everyone, Paintstorm Studio is the only digital art software you’ll need. And right now, you can score a lifetime license for just $19.99 (down from $49) — no upgrades or pricey add-ons required.

Opal Tadpole acts as a replacement for the webcam in your laptop or tablet. Clip the well-built gadget to an older MacBook and you’ll look better on video calls.

I tested one with multiple computers to see how Tadpole stands up in real world use — and whether it might make a good gift this holiday season.

Apple Pencil Pro boasts just about every feature an iPad user could want, and during Amazon Prime Day that includes a more affordable price. A discount knocks 25% off the cost, bringing it below $100 for the first time.

Alternatively, you can get a 15% off deal on the Apple Pencil (USB-C), or save 30% on the older Apple Pencil 2.

UPDATE: While Prime Day is over, these deals are not. Amazon actually improved them so these styli cost even less. Read on for the latest prices.

iOS 18 is getting a bunch of cool new accessibility features this year, including bringing eye tracking to the iPhone for the first time. You also can feel haptic music, control your phone with custom voice commands, use your phone in the car without suffering from motion sickness, and improve the accuracy of Siri and dictation.

Check out our video to see it in action or keep reading below.

The iPod music player, a product that was once the definition of tech coolness, rode off into the sunset on Tuesday. The last iPod nano and iPod shuffle models went on Apple’s list of obsolete products, which means the classic iPod lineup officially obsolete.

The music player that transformed Apple and the worldwide music culture will no longer be supported or serviced by Apple. It’s the end of an era.

The same is true for iPhone 6.

With Hurricane Milton taking aim at nearly the entire Gulf Coast of Florida, with a probable late Wednesday landfall, evacuees and others might want to make sure they download iOS 18 — specifically to get the new Messages via satellite capability.

That way, if power, Wi-Fi and cellular coverage all get knocked out, you can still communicate via satellite on your iPhone with family and friends. And of course you’ll also have the option of using the related Emergency SOS via satellite if you need to reach emergency services.

A U.S. federal judge ordered sweeping changes to Google Play, the default source for Android applications. Rival Android software marketplaces will get a big boost as a result.

While the iPhone App Store is similar, Apple’s and Google’s situations are different enough that iPhone users shouldn’t expect similar changes anytime soon. Long term? That’s a different story.

With Amazon Prime Day on October 8 and 9, power solutions provider Bluetti gets in on the savings action with exclusive deals on its portable solar power stations. With tons of power generators designed for outdoor enthusiasts, RV campers and home-backup needs, Bluetti’s lineup promises reliable power, anytime and anywhere.

And with these huge Prime Day savings, you can’t lose. Power up with Bluetti for amazing Prime Day savings.

The Apple Watch doesn’t just take your step count — it has three activity rings that track different levels of energy you burn throughout the day.

New to watchOS 11, you have additional options for customization and for taking a break when you need it. You can have different goals for each ring for different days of the week, so it can fit your workout schedule. When you want a rest day or if you fall ill, you can take up to a month-long break without losing your streak.

If you’re all-in on the fitness tracking, you can add widgets that show your rings on your Apple Watch face and widgets on your iPhone. Or, on the other hand, if you find it a bit annoying, you can turn off all the notifications so they won’t bother you anymore.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple Watch activity rings.

Apple continues beta testing iOS 18.1 ahead of its potential public release on October 28. Besides Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.1 will pack several other changes and improvements.

Below is everything new in the latest iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 6.

Apple made huge strides towards improving repairability with the iPhone 16. Sadly, despite getting a big internal redesign, the Apple Watch Series 10 is not as repair-friendly as the new iPhones.

A teardown from iFixit details the wearable’s innards and all the changes Apple made to slim down its design.

When it comes to Mac-centric computer setups, not every external display is Apple’s 6K Pro Display XDR or 5K Studio Display — far from it. And users’ choices come in various shapes and sizes. Today’s M1 Max MacBook Pro-using developer settled on a 34-inch Alienware curved ultra-wide monitor that hits his “sweet spot.” Find out why below. And don’t miss that nostalgia-inducing iPod Classic!

As a longtime iPhone user — now with a new iPhone 16 Pro — I like to flirt with the idea of going naked, with no case at all. But then I usually wimp out and go minimal instead. Totallee has built its reputation on barely-there minimalism, so I thought I’d give the Totallee Super Thin Case, Clear Grip Case and tempered glass screen protector a try. And true to form, Totallee iPhone cases offer protection without bulk. To my surprise, I liked the thin case and screen protector combo the most. It just seems like my black titanium iPhone, but with more grip and added peace of mind.

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.

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.

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.

Apple’s next-gen M4 Macs will reportedly arrive November 1, rather than in October as is generally expected. A few days before that, the company supposedly plans to release iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence support.

The new Macs that will debut include M4 MacBook Pros, Mac mini, and an iMac.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Today’s setup comes from a user with two MacBooks and two external displays. They’re like to clean it up and make it more mininalistic, but they also want to add a new M2 iPad Air. So they did the sensible thing and asked social media. See how that went, below.

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).

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.

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).