Hopping online means stepping into a situation where your every move can be seen and monitored. But by connecting through a virtual private network, you can vastly reduce your vulnerability using distributed, encrypted servers.

VPN.asia offers an easy and reliable way for even non-technical people to connect to the internet securely and anonymously. And right now, you can get a lifetime of VPN.asia access for just $39.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Apple will join other tech companies, including Alphabet, Facebook and Uber, in penning a letter opposing President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban.

News of the letter comes shortly after an interview Apple CEO Tim Cook gave to The Wall Street Journal, in which he described the “heart-wrenching” messages he had received about Trump’s executive order, which potentially affects hundreds of Apple employees.

Check out the draft of the open letter to Trump below:

Apple has invented a method for carrying out a “laser polishing” technique which could be used to help create future ceramic iPhones.

The company’s patent application covers an industrial process designed “for polishing a ceramic component using a laser.” The technique could be used to “produce a polished surface” on a wide range of materials, ranging from the white ceramic used for high-end Apple Watch Series 2 models to glass materials, like the reported casing being used for this year’s iPhone 8.

Apple is developing a custom ARM chip for future Macs, but it won’t replace the Intel processors that have been powering its computers since 2005, according to a new report.

Instead, the chip is expected to work alongside a machine’s primary CPU, handling “low-power mode functionality.”

Apple’s Fifth Avenue retail store in Manhattan may be its most iconic retail store in the world, but Apple’s set to make it even more impressive.

How? By more than doubling it in size — from its current 32,000 square feet to a massive 77,000 square feet.

We focused on Apple accessories this week, digging up some great offers on chargers, cases and keyboards. But we’ve also got a killer deal on the current-gen iPhone. You’ll find all this and more in our roundup of this week’s best Apple deals.

Tim Cook is living the Jetsons lifestyle — minus the jetpack and flying car — thanks to Siri and the growing number of HomeKit devices on the market.

The Apple CEO offered a rare glimpse into his private life Tuesday during Apple’s quarterly financial report, painting a picture of techno-utopian comfort and ease. It was Cook’s most personal world-beating earnings call ever, and it sent a message: Apple is serious about home automation.

Snapping selfies with a drone has never been easier, thanks to SELFLY, the autonomous drone that’s also an iPhone case.

It’s just one of the awesome projects in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We’ve also got an intelligent headband that promises to improve your sleep and your dreams, a smart dog collar that can detect things like disease and stress, and a 21st-century turntable.

This post is presented by Trilobi, maker of the Trilobi Magnetic 3 in 1 MAG Cable.

With all the sleek digital devices in our lives, one thing that doesn’t seem to get more streamlined is the drawer full of cables needed to keep them charged. Thankfully, a sweet, soon-to-be-released cable is about to cure that spaghetti nightmare.

The single photo interface of Instagram is about to see some big changes.

Instagram rolled out a new beta for Android users this week and hidden inside is a new feature that lets users select multiple photos to publish as an album that other viewers can swipe through.

Apple’s five year reign as the world’s most valuable brand has come to an end. For now.

Even though the iPhone-maker reported historic revenues and profits during its Q1 2017 earnings call yesterday, Google has supplanted Apple in the latest brand rankings.

Apple is quietly rolling out a new AirPods firmware update with version number 3.5.1. The update is installed automatically when AirPods are in their charging case and connected to an iOS device.

While he was alive, Steve Jobs was Walt Disney’s single largest shareholder, courtesy of his role running Pixar, the company which transformed him into a billionaire. (No, it wasn’t Apple!)

However, it seems that Jobs’ family aren’t holding onto their largest stakeholder position, as Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs has since cut her stake in Walt Disney in two.

Apple managed to shock Wall Street today by beating its own expectations for Q1 2017, the most profitable quarter in the company’s history.

There was good news all around as iPhone sales, services and even the Mac all performed better than predicted. During today’s earnings call, Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri revealed some of the secret sauce that made Apple’s earnings one for the history books.

Here are the top takeaways from today’s call.

Nintendo might have other priorities with its new Switch console right around the corner, but it won’t be losing its focus on Android and iOS. The Japanese firm today confirmed that it plans to release two to three mobile games every year.

Combining cutting-edge tech with a hipster retro aesthetic, designer Yves Béhar has created an awesome smartphone-connected compact turntable — which moves the arm, while keeping the record itself still.

Called the Love turntable, the results drag vinyl turntables well and truly into the 21st century, courtesy of a smart sensor-filled arm which scans the record and then lets you skip tracks using your iPhone. What could be better?

Arduino’s versatile microcontrollers make for an almost infinite variety of projects. From robotics to games, home gizmos, art projects, and beyond — if you can think of it, you can build it. But working with Arduino isn’t exactly like opening a box of Legos. It takes an understanding of key principles and techniques, and the equipment you need to get started. This bundle of an Arduino starter kit offers both, bundling the parts and the instruction you’ll need for making whatever your mind dreams up. And right now you can get the whole shebang for just $75.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Justin Long, the face of Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign for three years, is now starring in ads for Huawei phones.

The Chinese Android maker is desperately trying to break into the U.S. market, and it will be hoping Long’s familiar face can raise awareness of the Huawei brand.

Tim Cook makes it clear that Apple is staunchly opposed to President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, according to a new interview.

“More than any country in the world, this country is strong because of our immigrant background and our capacity and ability as people to welcome people from all kinds of backgrounds,” Cook told The Wall Street Journal. “That’s what makes us special. We ought to pause and really think deeply through that.”

Apple’s stellar quarter for iPhone sales didn’t just put more money in the bank; it also helped the Cupertino company overtake Samsung to become the world’s top smartphone vendor.

According to the latest data from Strategy Analytics, Apple shipped 78.3 million handsets in Q4 2016 — around 800,000 more than Samsung. However, the iPhone wouldn’t have stood a chance if it wasn’t for the Galaxy Note 7 recall.

Prince may have been one of the most high-profile celebrity deaths of 2016, but his music will live on via Apple Music starting February.

A new report claims that Prince’s Warner Music Group albums — including iconic hits like “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry” — will start streaming on February 12.

Apple is encouraged with its growth in China even if it registered a double-digit decline in revenue there.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri used other numbers to paint a rosy picture of the complicated China market when they met with investors during a first quarter earnings conference call Tuesday.

Apple may be more of a smartphone company these days, but its legacy product, the personal computer, continues to be popular.

In an upbeat Q1 earnings report with investors Tuesday, Apple said it sold 5.4 million Macs en route to an all-time quarterly revenue record of $78.4 billion dollars.

The number 7 was lucky for Apple, as worldwide sales of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus hit a quarterly record and put the breaks on a three-quarter revenue skid, the company said in today’s first quarter earnings report.

Apple saw a 5 percent revenue increase ($54.3 million) with more than 78 million iPhones sold. It was the first full quarter of the iPhone 7, delivered during a time of year that typically generates the best sales figures for Apple because of the holiday shopping season.

Apple is set to reveal its first quarterly earnings report of 2017 and, if Wall Street’s estimates are any indicator, it could be Apple’s biggest quarter ever.

After multiple quarters of declining revenues, today’s call could see the company return to growth, lifted by strong iPhone sales over the holidays and a burgeoning services business that has quickly become Apple’s second-biggest moneymaker.

Tim Cook and Luca Maestri are scheduled to hold an open call with investors today at 2 p.m. Pacific. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging and analyzing all the action. Get prepped for the call with our guide on what to expect, and join the fun in the liveblog below.