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Marvel’s What If…? VR/AR app coming to Vision Pro next week [Updated]

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Marvel's 'What If…? – An Immersive Story' is coming exclusively to Apple Vision Pro
What If…? – An Immersive Story is only for those with Apple Vision Pro.
Photo: Disney/ILM

Marvel Studios and ILM Immersive are bringing an interactive story to Apple Vision Pro. What If…? – An Immersive Story will be an exclusive for Apple’s headset. It’s an hour-long experience intended to put Marvel fans inside the Multiverse like never before.

A trailer for the app is now available, and Marvel revealed that it’s launching in late May. Even better, the AR/VR application will be free to download and play.

Flagship Bose headphones make surprisingly rare appearance [Setups]

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Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones setup
You'd think we'd see top Bose headphones, like the QuietComfort Ultras shown on the right, in setups more often.
Photo: [email protected]

When it comes to fantastic and popular over-ear noise-canceling headphones that don’t stray too far from the realm of affordability, certain brands typically leap to mind. Apple. Beats. Sony. Sennheiser. Audio-Technica. Bose. And yet we noticed how seldomly flagship cans from Bose, one of the most famous and well-regarded brands in the United States, crop up in our computer setups coverage. Take the brand’s current top dog, for example — Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.

Today’s M2 Max MacBook Pro setup brings in a set of Bose Ultras alongside AirPods Pro 2, for when the user needs bigger audio guns with greater comfort than Apple’s top earbuds.

WTF??? Apple chose this as the best album of all time?

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Apple Music top 10 albums - Artist Lauryn Hill
Artist Lauryn Hill holds her award for topping the Apple Music 100 Best Albums list.
Photo: Apple Music

You might be shocked to find out the No. 1 album of all time according to Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list.

After releasing 10 albums a day in an agonizingly slow bleed, Apple Music finally unveiled its top 10 Wednesday. The final installment is sure to get people talking, especially the No. 1 pick: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Apple Music took care to justify every selection, though. DJs Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden spoke with guest artists Nile Rodgers and Maggie Rogers about the top 10.

Proposed emoji might make you feel sleepy

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Proposed Emoji 16.0 might make you feel sleepy
Prettier versions of these are likely to be added to iPhone, Mac, etc. this autumn.
Photo: Unicode Consortium

The list of fresh emoji up for consideration includes a tired-looking face, a fingerprint, a leafless tree, a harp and several more.

If approved, they’ll be added to iPhone, Mac and iPad as well as many social media applications.

Apple Music 100 best albums countdown completes: 1 to 100 [Updated]

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Apple Music 100 Best Albums
Over 10 days, Apple Music reveals its picks for 100 best albums of all time, with plenty of special programming.
Photo: Apple Music

Monday marked the first day in Apple Music’s 10-day countdown revealing its picks for the 100 best albums of all time.

Apple invites you to follow along as it “journeys through the albums that shaped, inspired and fundamentally changed music.”

We’ll add to the list below as Apple continues the countdown. (Update: All albums, 1 through 100, now added as of Wednesday.)

This transparent, magnetic power bank charges your iPhone on the go

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Charge your iPhone 12 or newer anywhere with this transparent MagSafe power bank.
Save 33% on this MagSafe-compatible power bank that works with iPhone 12 or newer.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Not every MagSafe-compatible battery pack needs to look generic. This 5,000mAh iPhone power bank features a trendy transparent design that makes it stand out in a crowd of muted gray, austere white and boring black colors. And its pass-through charging capabilities mean you can juice your phone while you’re charging up the power bank. It even comes with a built-in stand!

It works with iPhone 12, 13, 14 and 15, and you can charge it using either Lightning or Type-C cables. Grab one now for just $39.99. (That’s a 33% discount off the regular price of $59.99.)

M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Pro comparison: What’s different?

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M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Pro comparison
Should you ditch your M2 iPad Pro and get the M4 iPad Pro?
Photo: Apple/Rajesh Pandey

Apple’s newest M4 iPad Pros pack the best display technology, the company’s latest and greatest M4 processor, and other keen advances. But exactly how do the latest tablets differ from their M2-powered predecessors? Our M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Pro comparison reveals the answers to questions you might have.

Should you upgrade to the 13-inch iPad Pro with M4 chip if you already own the M2 12.9-inch iPad Pro? And what about the 11-inch model? Find out in this head-to-head comparison that pits the M4 iPad Pro against the M2 iPad Pro.

Stop ignoring the power of AI and learn to use ChatGPT

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Stop ignoring the power of AI and learn to use ChatGPT with this $20 course.
Learn the full potential of ChatGPT with this $20 course.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Artificial intelligence is coming on strong and creating quite a buzz in the tech world. Stop missing out on cutting-edge tech, and start using AI to make your life easier. The Introduction to ChatGPT certification course teaches you how AI can streamline your personal and professional projects.

Typically, lifetime access to this course costs $80. But now you can get it for the best price online, just $19.99.

iOS 17.5.1 patches bug that caused deleted images to reappear [Updated]

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iOS 17.5.1 removes an iPhone bug with a lot of potential for embarrassment.
iOS 17.5.1 removes a potentially embarrassing bug.
Photo: Cult of Mac

iOS 17.5.1 went out Monday to patch a nasty bug that could make images completely deleted from an iPhone reappear later. Multiple times. It’s was a problem with a lot of potential for embarrassment.

Tablet users got iPadOS 17.5.1 to fix the same bug. And Tuesday brought tvOS 17.5.1 to fix the problem on Apple TV.

How to make stickers from personal photos for fun group chats

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Cut Your Own Stickers
Make your own stickers from your own photos.
Image: Watty62/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can make custom stickers from photos on your iPhone and send them in iMessage, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Stickers made from your own pictures are a lot of fun to send in group chats. They’re great for sending highly personal reactions using photos of people or pets that everyone knows. You can even add fun sticker effects.

Making these custom stickers from photos stems from an iOS 16 featured that brought the ability to copy and paste the subject from a picture. Now, in iOS 17, it’s easy to collect your personalized cutouts int a set of digital stickers you can use anywhere. I’ll show you how it all works.

Why Apple should steal Microsoft’s Flex keyboard design for iPad

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Microsoft Surface Pro Flex Keyboard does a trick Apple Magic Keyboard should steal.
Microsoft's new Flex keyboard does a trick Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad should "borrow."
Photo: Microsoft

While not nearly as cool as the iPad Pro’s redesigned Magic Keyboard, the new Flex Keyboard for the Microsoft Surface Pro does a trick that Apple should steal: It works as both a wired and a wireless keyboard.

An Apple version would make the iPad even more flexible than it is now, and therefore more useful.

Pop that cork for season 2 of wine-soaked Drops of God on Apple TV+

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Drops of God season two
The search for the world's greatest wine continues.
Photo: Apple TV+

Season two of hit multilingual wine-tasting drama Drops of God is headed your way on Apple TV+, Apple said Tuesday. It acquired streaming rights to it much like it did with season one of the international production.

Fans of the show appreciate its adaptation from the New York Times bestselling Japanese manga series of the same name. The award-winning Tadashi Agi created and wrote it, and Shu Okimoto illustrated it.

Apple Wallet masters Paris transit ahead of Olympics

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Apple Wallet masters Paris transit
Transit riders can buy passes from the Île-de-France Mobilités iOS app or directly from Apple Wallet, and use an iPhone or Apple Watch to tap and ride.
Photo: Apple

As Paris gears up for French Open tennis next week and the Summer Olympics in July, Apple Wallet makes paying for Paris public transit easier. Users can now add a Navigo card and simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to ride. It works on the metro, trains, buses and more in the French capital region, Apple said Tuesday. Apple Maps added more real-time transit information, too.

“In the lead-up to what will surely be an amazing summer for the Paris region, we’re thrilled to bring Navigo cards to Apple Wallet and provide Parisians and visitors with an incredibly convenient and secure way to ride transit in Paris and explore the city,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “Users will love the safety, security, and seamlessness of purchasing passes and riding with a Navigo card in Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch.”

First Sonos headphones blast away at AirPods Max

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Sonos Ace headphones in soft white
Sonos' first headphones look like quite an appealing alternative to AirPods Max -- for $100 less out of the gate.
Photo: Sonos

Popular speaker brand Sonos finally unveiled its “most-requested” product ever Tuesday — Sonos Ace over-ear headphones. They appear to go straight at Apple’s aging AirPods Max as a competitor. The new cans sport top features and a $100 lower list price ($449) than Apple’s premium headphones.

Sonos touts the new headphones’ “breathtaking lossless and spatial audio, world-class Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Aware Mode, as well as the most precise and immersive home theater experience possible using Sonos’ new TrueCinema technology.”

You can preorder Sonos Ace now and they become available June 5.

iPhone SE 4 could get a price hike

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iPhone SE in Red
iPhone SE could get a big design and size upgrade
Photo: Filipe Alves

Apple’s next iPhone SE refresh could have a higher price tag than the current model. A leak indicates Apple might bump the iPhone SE 4’s price by 10%.

Despite the possible hike, Apple apparently wants to keep the price of its compact iPhone below $499.

Mac Studio and Mac Pro with M3 Ultra may have been axed

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Apple Mac Studio with M2 Max or M2 Ultra next to Apple Mac Pro with M2 Ultra.
Mac Studio and Mac Pro could stick with the Apple M2 series processors for a whole extra year.
Photo: Apple

Mac Studio and Mac Pro models updated with an M3 Ultra processor that we expected to arrive soon reportedly have been canceled. Apparently, professional Mac users shouldn’t look out for new hardware with faster processors at WWDC24 in June. And the wait might actually stretch until next year’s WWDC25.

It seems Apple already moved on from its M3 series processors, so there are no new chips ready to go into these high-end desktops. However, if you’re interested in the M3 MacBook Pro, you can explore how it compares to other Macs in this in-depth Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro comparison.

OtterBox ‘Cactus Leather’ iPhone case looks good and makes you feel good [Review]

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OtterBox Cactus Leather iPhone case
OtterBox's new iPhone cases look like leather but haven't been anywhere near a cow.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The just-released OtterBox cactus leather iPhone cases give buyers the option to wrap their handset in a plant-based material rather than traditional leather. In my testing, the cactus-based material looks and feels somewhat similar to cow leather but not identical.

There’s a lot to like about OtterBox Symmetry Series Cactus Leather iPhone cases that are now available starting Monday.

Here’s the key to expanding MacBook connectivity [Setups]

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OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock setup
One of these turns your MacBook into quite the well-connected beast.
Photo: OWC

Today’s MacBook Pro setup boasts a secret weapon many laptop-based computer setups should have — a multiport adapter like a USB-C or Thunderbolt dock. In this case, an iOS and macOS developer runs his M1 Max MacBook Pro through an OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock, connecting the laptop to various peripherals.

A multiport USB-C hub or docking station greatly expands connectivity with peripherals like monitors and storage drives. And it often provides fast data-transfer speeds and even powers devices. In short, for not too much money it enables your setup to do much more.

Immerse yourself in code with BenQ’s specialized new monitors

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BenQ RD Series monitors for programmers
BenQ says these displays are easy on the tired eyes and challenged postures of coders.
Photo: BenQ

If you’re a software developer or frequently find yourself hip-deep in code for some other reason, BenQ just released five new computer displays just for you. It called its new RD Series “the world’s first line of monitors custom crafted to meet the unique and extensive needs of programmers.”

The displays use versions of BenQ’s Fine-Coated Panel plus anti-glare and anti-reflective properties to enable long coding sessions.

Download videos from YouTube, TikTok and more with this easy-to-use app

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YouTube video downloader Surfast works on TikTok and a thousand other streaming sites.
This $25 app lets you download from YouTube, TikTok, Twitch and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want to grab a copy of your favorite videos? You need a YouTube video downloader that works on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and more. SurFast Video Downloader is just that — a simple tool for downloading high-quality videos and audio from a range of streaming sites.

It comes in versions for Mac and Windows PCs. And with it, you can score your own copy of your favorite videos in up to 8K resolution. All you need is this lifetime subscription to SurFast for Mac for just $24.99. (The PC version costs even less!)

Take a deep dive into the best parts of M4 iPad Pro [Review] ★★★★★

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M4 iPad Pro review★★★★★
I explain why iPad Pro M4 is so brilliant.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

You already know the latest iPad Pro looks pretty and runs fast. Rather than an M4 iPad Pro review that simply goes over those points again, I talked to experts on why the tablet’s new tandem OLED display looks so beautiful. And I also explain why an iPad needs a high-end processor.

Plus, this M4 iPad Pro review serves up the results of my real-world battery life tests, plus my thoughts on The iPadOS Question.

Apple temporarily boosts iPhone trade-in values

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iPhone 13 Pro
Apple will pay you more for your old iPhone if you buy a new one.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

For a limited time, Apple has boosted the trade-in values of old iPhones when buying a new iPhone. The higher trade-in prices will apply until June 3.

Based on the model you are exchanging for your new iPhone, you will get an extra $10-$30 credit.

Apple leaker floats iPhone 16 and 16 Pro color predictions

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iPhone 15 Pro color options
iPhone 16 Pro might ditch the blue for a rose shade.
Photo: Sophia Stark/Unsplash

Apple could launch the iPhone 16 Pro in a new rose shade, replacing the iPhone 15 Pro’s blue titanium color. The other color options should remain similar, though they might have a different hue. For the iPhone 16 series, Apple might offer a new white shade, while retaining the iPhone 15‘s four other color options.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro color case predictions come from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He thinks Apple might change the marketing names of certain colors this year. And even if it does not, the analyst thinks they “may look different,” he wrote Sunday on X.

M4 iPad Pro teardown reveals smaller-capacity battery

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An M4 iPad Pro teardown shows the two batteries
An M4 iPad Pro teardown shows the two batteries and other internal components
Photo: iFixit

A teardown of the new M4 iPad Pro shows that achieving its super-slim redesign required trimming the battery capacity. But there’s good news about replacing that battery.

Disassembling an iPad isn’t for the faint of heart, but iFixit did the honors. Now we can all what’s inside the shiny new iPad Pro.