★★★★☆
The Satechi On-the-Go 67W Slim Wall Charger packs outsized power. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Satechi OntheGo 67W Slim Wall Charger lives up to its name. It’s sleek and very portable, but can pump out enough power to juice up a MacBook. It makes anything from Apple seem bulky, slow and limited.
I tested out its capabilities for this hands-on review.
Apple loosens App Store rules to give developers more flexibility Photo: Apple/Rajesh Pandey
Apple is making two developer-focused changes to the App Store. Developers can now upload additional documentation and assets while their app is under review.
Secondly, developers can create up to 70 custom pages — double the previous limit.
Be on the lookout for your packages. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can use the built-in iPhone Wallet app for some basic order tracking with classic Apple ease of use. No need to fiddle with finding and copying tracking numbers — your orders will appear there automatically.
If you order something from an online store that doesn’t automatically integrate with the Wallet app, there’s a solution for that as well. If your device supports Apple Intelligence, it’ll scan your email inbox and add in all those Amazon orders, too.
Here’s how the iPhone’s order-tracking feature works.
The disastrous Apple Maps showed Scott Forstall the way out of Cupertino. Photo: Apple
October 29, 2012: Scott Forstall, Apple’s senior vice president of iOS software, is fired from the company after the disastrous Apple Maps launch. After Forstall is ousted, Apple divvies up the roles he previously handled among other high-level execs.
Design chief Jony Ive assumes leadership of the Human Interface team. Craig Federighi becomes head of iOS software. Eddy Cue takes control of Maps and Siri. And Bob Mansfield “unretires” to lead a new technology group.
Get three years of solid web hosting at a steep discount. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If your to-do list reads “launch, iterate, don’t crash,” this web hosting provider checks all three. The Ionos Web Hosting Plus Plan lets you host unlimited sites with 99.99% uptime, redundant storage, daily backups, Wildcard SSL and other advanced features.
As Slow Horses season 5 wraps up with its sixth episode Wednesday, Apple TV cues up a second thriller, Down Cemetery Road, in collaboration with novelist Mick Herron. You can watch its first trailer below, or jump right into the first two episodes. The new series stars Academy Award winner Emma Thompson and Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson. It’s based on Herron’s “Zöe Boehm” book series.
Reviews of Down Cemetery Road so far seem thrilled with the show. “If you like Slow Horses, you’ll love conspiracy thriller Down Cemetery Road,” raves Time magazine. It “hits the sweet spot of thrills and odd-couple comedy,” adds AV Club. Critics call Thompson’s performance “magnificent” and “superb,” among other superlatives.
The Wavlink Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station (WL-UTD58) heralds the company’s ambitious entry into next-generation connectivity. It offers users impressive charging power and access to remarkable data-transfer speeds in complex computer setups. I tried it in my dual 5K-display M4 MacBook Pro workstation — and found it excellent. Not perfect, but excellent.
AirPods Pro 3 might have an altitude problem. Photo illustration Cult of Mac
Imagine being on a long plane flight and one of your new AirPods Pro 3 earbuds keeps whistling in your ear. Infuriating, eh? That’s what some users of Apple’s latest wireless earbuds say happens while flying.
It certainly doesn’t happen to every user. But there’s no easy solution for those experiencing the problem. Still, there are a few things you’ll need to be ready in case you’re unlucky.
Do you want a water-resistant iPad? Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Apple could bring the iPhone’s water-resistant design to the iPad. The company has internally tested an iPad mini casing with an IP rating.
Unlike iPhones, iPads typically aren’t exposed to the same environmental challenges. So, Apple never made iPads with an IP rating, but that could eventually change.
Fulfill all your AI needs with a single suite of AI tools, for a low one-time payment. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
With the wealth of AI tools available, the problem isn’t finding one that will get the job done. The real issue is finding the best fit for your budget. You might be able to find independent AI tools like ChatGPT or Dall-E for generating copy, creating logos, building stories and more, but AI MagicX does it all under one subscription, and you only have to pay for it once. That makes it a perfect suite of AI tools for business.
This robust AI platform includes tools for designing logos, generating art, creating chatbots, writing articles and creating stories. There’s even a document editor. And for a limited time, you can get a lifetime subscription on sale for just $60 with code SAVE40 (regularly $972).
Add iPad mini to the list of Apple devices getting an OLED screen. Image: Cult of Mac/Apple/Paul Inkles
The next-generation iPad mini will be upgraded with a gorgeous OLED display, according to a generally reliable source of Apple insider info. It’s apparently part of a drive that will eventually see an OLED screen coming to the iPad Air, too. But there’s bad news about the budget iPad.
The move comes as the oft-predicted OLED MacBook Pro moves closer to release.
The iOS 26.1 release candidate means the final version is almost out. Image: Cult of Mac
Apple seeded the release candidates of iOS 26.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.1 to developers and the public on Tuesday. This is usually the final step before new versions launch — which should happen next week. The highlight is a new setting that makes the controversial Liquid Glass UI less transparent.
Release candidates for iPadOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1 and visionOS 26.1 also went out to on Tuesday.
French industrial architect Philippe Starck designed Steve Jobs' $118 million yacht. Photo: photostephan.eu/Wikimedia CC
October 28, 2012: More than a year after Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ death, the luxury yacht he commissioned is shown off for the first time, launched from a shipyard in North Holland. Called Venus, the distinctive-looking yacht was one of the big personal projects Jobs pursued in his final years.
As Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson, “I have to keep going on it. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die.”
Sadly, Jobs never lived to see the finished vessel.
iPhone 17 success powered Apple to a $4 trillion market cap. Image: Apple/ChatGPT
Apple hit a major stock market milestone Tuesday, with its market capitalization surpassing the staggering $4 trillion mark for the first time. Its valuation shot up recently after reports that the new iPhone 17 models are selling well.
The world might be ready for a buttonless iPhone. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
After years of speculation and false starts, Apple’s ambitious plan to eliminate mechanical buttons from the iPhone may finally become reality in 2027 with the 20th anniversary handset, according to a new report Tuesday. This may be a bit of an adjustment for button lovers, but haptics have their benefits.
Go viral the smart with TikTokWizard. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
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ChatGPT Atlas and other AI-enhanced web browsers might eat Safari's lunch. AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
Going hands-on with the new ChatGPT Atlas browser for Mac makes it crystal clear that Safari risks becoming irrelevant. Our browsing habits are evolving fast, and Apple’s browser just isn’t keeping up
For years, Safari has been my go-to browser on the Mac due to its speed and power efficiency. But with Apple falling behind in the artificial intelligence wars, and a new breed of AI-boosted browsers coming on strong, that could change. I went hands-on with ChatGPT Atlas to see what the future of internet browsing looks like.
Dynamic Island may trickle down to the iPhone 17e next year. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple’s next budget iPhone — the iPhone 17e — will supposedly feature a Dynamic Island. The iPhone 16e currently sports a notch, the only handset in the company’s lineup to do so.
Unfortunately, this could be the iPhone 17e’s only display upgrade, as Apple does not plan to update the panel to a 120Hz one.
Achieve your resolutions by gaining CompTIA and IT certification training with this $40 bundle. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you resolved to dive into an information technology career in 2025, congratulations! The outlook is great for tech jobs this year and in the decade to come. You can keep the momentum going with IT certification courses that teach you the necessary skills to succeed.
With hundreds of hours of up-to-date training on multiple CompTIA and IT certification exams, this affordable training pack is an invaluable resource. And it’s priced down to only $39.97 (regularly $2,748).
The internet is going crazy over the Apple Vision Pro’s new Dual Knit Band, with AI users creating increasingly fantastical mutant versions of the distinctive-looking strap.
The craze started with people turning the white knit headband into a head-covering hat, but kicked into overdrive after X.com user John Dagdelen posted an image Sunday of a samurai warrior dressed head-to-toe in Vision Pro-inspired armor.
“We are not thinking big enough,” Dagdelen said in his X.com post. Dagdelen, founder of the Fluid operating system for VR headsets, who said he used ChatGPT to create the Vision Pro samurai image.
His AI creation clearly inspired others to think bigger … or at least weirder.
A wild array of AI creations followed, including some that animated Dagdelen’s samurai. The jokesters envisioned all sorts of bizarre designs and uses, from Star Wars characters to high-fashion gowns and handbags. There’s even an automotive design where the lenses make up a car’s front grill and headlights.
“There are some pretty creative ones,” Dagdelen told Cult of Mac.
Pixelmator Pro is one of the Mac apps that could could hit iPad. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Those clamoring for more professional-grade iPad applications could soon get a quartet of them. An analyst found evidence on Monday that Pixelmator Pro and three more Mac apps for graphics professionals are getting ported to iPadOS.
If true, the move should help quiet the critics who complain that the iPad Pro isn’t very “pro.”
At the turn of the century, some observers accused Steve Jobs of failing one of Apple's most popular markets. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
October 27, 1999: Dell Computer overtakes Apple in the educational market, stealing Cupertino’s crown as the top company selling computers to U.S. schools. Dell’s cheap Windows PCs make sense for schools looking to buy computers without breaking the bank.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs, still in the process of rebuilding Apple after its near-collapse in the 1990s, faces heavy criticism for ignoring one of the company’s strongest markets.
With dual drivers and Hi-Res Audio certification, you can count on good sound. Photo: EarFun
New EarFun Air Pro 4+ noise-canceling earbuds are the world’s first Hi-Res certified dual-driver wireless buds with adaptive noise cancellation under $100, EarFun said Monday. So they offer Apple users a potentially compelling alternative to AirPods Pro at less than half the price.
And a launch discount makes the price even harder to resist. See below.
Slide this slim tracker into your wallet or onto your ID badge and feel the Find My love. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
While the AirTag is a handy tool to keep track of things like your car keys or luggage, there are things that Apple’s tracking tag isn’t designed to keep tabs on, such as a wallet or your office card key. That’s precisely why the KeySmart SmartCard wallet tracker makes a terrific addition to your tech arsenal.
Like the AirTag, the SmartCard works seamlessly with Apple’s Find My app. Unlike the bulkier AirTag, the SmartCard’s discreet form factor ensures it can be tucked away easily. The tracker’s ultra-slim, credit-card-like design makes it incredibly easy to fit into tight wallet slots, small compartments or the narrowest of pockets. Plus, it’s rechargeable!
The iPod Photo brought us one step closer to the iPhone. Photo: Apple
October 26, 2004: Apple debuts the iPod Photo, a device capable of putting not just 15,000 songs in your pocket, but also 25,000 photographs. The new device “lets you take your entire music and photo library with you wherever you go,” Apple says.
It is the first iPod to offer a color screen and the ability to display digital images and album cover art. The iPod Photo represents a big step forward in the functionality of Apple’s iconic music player.