Just in time for the beginning of a new month, a bunch of great new deals just came into the Cult of Mac Store. This week, we’ve got a massively discounted icon library for designers, a combination USB charger and car locator, a cable-free service that lets you keep your favorite cable channels, and a set of foam cushions for your Mighty Mouse to make it a lot more ergonomic.
This year is off to a stressful start for many people, making the awesome gear and gadgets we get into the Cult of Mac Store every week a welcome relief.
As March comes to an end, we’ve gathered some of the best deals we’ve seen this month. They include a massive bundle of top-shelf Mac apps; a set of extra-long, MFi-certified Lightning cables; a powerful tool for unlocking PDFs; and a lifetime of VPN protection. There’s something here for everybody!
This week on The CultCast: The weird and wacky Apple products Cupertino hopes you’ve forgotten! Well, we haven’t, Tim. Plus: The best new features in iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4; rumor mills say Apple might resurrect the PowerBook; iPhone 8 rumors point to a backside Touch ID sensor; and the inspirations for Steve Jobs’ best one-liners.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.
There’s just one day left in March which means a cornucopia of horrible tech “pranks” are about to be unleashed on the internet. Google is getting its gags out early and this year, the company’s April Fools’ Day prank is actually a lot of fun.
Google Maps added a new feature for users this morning on both iOS, Android and the web that allows users to turn city streets into a giant game of Ms. Pac-Man.
One of the best iPad Pro features may soon be heading to the iPhone.
All three new iPhones in 2017 will get True Tone displays, according to the latest research note from analysts at Barclays that predict Apple will add a “full spectral sensing” ambient light sensor on each device.
Apple dropped a colorful new ad for the Apple Watch Series 2 this morning to promote the wearable’s fitness features and waterproof design.
The fun new Apple Watch ad features a cast of different athletes going through their workouts while Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” blasts throughout the video. Other athletes and adventurers can be spotted in the minute-long ad that encourages watchers to “live bright.”
Check it out:
In another sign that Apple is gearing up to make a big push into video, the company has hired former YouTube executive Shiva Rajaraman.
The hire comes as Apple is beginning to launch its own efforts to create original video content for Apple Music subscribers, but the addition of Rajaraman could mean Apple is looking to explore other avenues for its video content too.
Apple discounted a whole bunch of its USB-C accessories last November after fans complained about the new MacBook Pro’s reliance on dongles. If you haven’t already taken advantage of the savings, today is your last chance.
Almost everybody uses their phone on the reg. But for those of us who also drive all the time, the phone can easily become a costly and dangerous distraction. That’s why having a good spot to place your phone when you drive is essential, and we’ve gathered some of the best mobile mounts on the market right here at the Cult of Mac Store. Whether you’d like a swivel mount or a flexible arm, one that connects to the windshield, air vent, or even your old CD player, we’ve got you covered. Read on for more details:
Apple’s latest iOS 10.3 update fixes a bug that enabled “cyberattacks” on 911 centers across the United States.
The flaw, which was first discovered by an Arizona teen last October, led to repeated calls to the emergency services with just one tap.
Facial recognition is one of the myriad new features of the Samsung Galaxy S8, but only one a couple of days after the phone’s announcement, Samsung’s latest security method seems… well, a little bit unsecure.
Already a video has appeared online showing the phone being unlocked with a picture, while according to industry sources it’s a feature that’s designed to be no more than a bit of fun. Because security’s no fun, apparently.
Apple’s brand new App Accelerator in Bengaluru, India, is officially open for business!
Plans for the 40,000-square-foot office space were first announced by Tim Cook during his visit to India last year. The App Accelerator’s purpose is to offer guidance, inspiration, tutorials, and feedback to local developers building iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and Mac OS apps.
After an absence of more than a year from Southeast Asia’s largest smartphone market, the iPhone arrives back in Indonesia today with the long-awaited debut of the iPhone 7.
Apple has been unable to sell the previous iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and iPhone SE generation of its handsets after a ruling in the country that all makers of 4G smartphones must have 30 percent of “local content” — meaning hardware, software, or an investment commitment.
Apple continued its new ad campaign series for the iPad Pro today by publishing some new ads that showcase how the tablet is the perfect laptop replacements.
The three new ads are aimed at students and frequent travelers by highlighting the iPad Pro’s lightness, ability to carry textbooks and notes on the same screen, as well as its all day battery life that can keep you entertained on a 12 hour flight. Like the previous set of iPad Pro ads, the quirky new videos feature tweets from real people with real problems.
Watch all three short ads below:
Two airlines from the Middle East are coming to the rescue of fliers that have been effected by President Donald Trump’s recent executive order banning the use of tablets and laptops on flights to the United States.
Both Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways launched new electronics loaner programs for passengers this week, giving customers the option to rent an iPad while their own device is safely stored inside checked baggage.
The new Theater Mode in watchOS 3.2 can do more than keep you from annoying others when you’re at the movies. If you track your sleep with your Apple Watch, Theater Mode can help you get some extra shut-eye.
While President Donald Trump gets busy gutting the Environmental Protection Agency, many of America’s largest companies plan to fight climate change without his help, including Apple.
During the reign of Tim Cook, Apple has made renewable energy and going green one of its top priorities. According to a new report, that won’t change now that there’s a new administration in the White House.
There’s more room to rage the next time you reply to a Tweet from President Donald Trump.
Twitter made a yuge change to replies so that @usernames won’t count toward the 140-character limit.
Apple’s eagerly-anticipated new Apple Park HQ opens next month, and courtesy of drone photographer Matthew Roberts we’ve got what may turn out to be the final “in construction” drone video for the massive 175-acre campus.
Check it out below.
It’s about time Apple made our Home screens more useful. It could start by taking tips from this iOS 11 concept, which imagines more informative icon badges and support for complications similar to those on Apple Watch.
Whether you’re making hard copies of your files or trying to get a video to work better on your phone, having a solid set of media apps can really come in handy. This trio of MacX media management apps offers a comprehensive toolset for anyone working with digital video, audio, or any other kind of file. The MacX Media Management Bundle includes MacX DVD Ripper Pro, Video Converter Pro, and MediaTrans, and right now you can get the whole bundle for just $20.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
Got a call from “Apple Support” to say your iCloud account was hacked? Hang up and ignore it.
Phone scammers are calling unsuspecting iPhone and iPad users and trying to trick them into handing over their iCloud account details. Once they have them, they can purchase whatever they want, and it’s you who foots the bill.
The iPhone will start selling widely again in Argentina next month, after a period of 8 years during which it was blocked, due to laws requiring companies that wanted to sell devices to set up local manufacturing facilities.
The move comes as President Mauricio Macri attempts to re-open Argentina to global trade. The laws barring the iPhones from being supported by local carriers carriers Telefonica SA, America Movil SAB and Telecom Argentina SA came into being in 2009, courtesy of President Macri’s predecessor, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 is the world’s first smartphone to offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
It’s faster and more reliable than the Bluetooth 4.2 technology currently found in today’s flagship devices — including iPhone 7 — and it can stream audio to two sets of wireless headphones or speakers simultaneously.
Update: “We put the new iPad through more tests,” iFixit notes. “The display on the iPad 5 has ~44% greater luminance than the LCD in the Air 1.” Well, we guess that answers that!
Apple claims that its latest iPad boasts a “brighter 9.7-inch Retina display” than its predecessors.
However, our friends over at iFixit call that claim into question with their teardown of the device — which prompts them to ask, “Brighter than what?”