Cult of Mac

How many times have you rushed out the door with a battery pack for your iPhone, only to discover the battery is dead as a doornail? SwitchEasy’s 2-in-1 Portal solves that. This stylish MagSafe battery pack stand includes a portable power pack that is always charged and ready to go.

And we have a massive discount only for Cult of Mac readers. The Portal regularly costs $119.99, but we are dropping the price to $44.99. That’s more than 60% off, and an offer not found anywhere else. Heck, it’s a good deal just for the 5,000mAh rechargeable MagSafe battery.

With its Bang & Olufsen-inspired styling, Portal is great for your desktop or nightstand. And it ensures you always have portable power ready to go.

The affordable and popular Baseus Bowie MA10 wireless noise-canceling earbuds just got a big upgrade with spatial audio, alongside a more compact design and a digital display for battery life on the case, the company said Tuesday. The new ones are called Baseus Bowie MA10s.

Baseus called the previous version its best-selling product on Amazon last year and said the buds “have been recommended by Oscar-class composers to ensure a quality sound experience.” And you can get them for a lot less than buds like AirPods Pro 2 — just $40.

Slip the Ekster Finder Card into your wallet and it can be located with Apple’s Find My network. It’s much like an AirTag, except a lot flatter.

The credit card-size accessory just hit the market.

Apple showcased the family-inspired coding work of three Swift Student Challenge winners Wednesday. The iPhone giant changed up its annual coding competition this year by naming 50 students Distinguished Winners among 350 top coders overall. The 50 get to attend a special event at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC24).

“This year’s winning Swift Student Challenge submissions once again demonstrate the breadth and depth of what is possible when talented young people use coding to make their mark on the world,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.

“We’re also incredibly proud to welcome more outstanding student developers than ever before to Apple Park to connect with our teams and each other as they continue to build apps that will no doubt transform our future for the better,” she added.

You can buy a monitor light bar pretty cheap, even as low as about $20. But will it be a great piece of gear, illuminating your desk from atop your display, with a nice array of features? Probably not. Today’s M3 MacBook Pro and PC setup laid out a little more cash for a keeper — the BenQ Screenbar Monitor Light.

I’ve made no secret of my admiration for Edifier audio products in the past few years, but the streak couldn’t go on forever. But it’s not you, Edifier. It’s me, maybe. I blame my oversized head and clunky glasses for standing in the way of my affection for your sleek new Edifier Comfo Run sports headphones. I just couldn’t get the fit quite right for the best sound.

But I could see all sorts of athletes, and really anyone who prefers to keep earbuds and other objects out of their ear canals, loving these things. They work by air conduction.

Many air conditioners lack smart features like mobile access and integration with virtual assistants. If you want a little more control over yours, connect it to a Klima smart thermostat for mini splits, window AC units, ceiling cassettes, portable air conditioners and heat pumps.

The Klima is compatible with any air conditioner or heat pump that uses a remote control with a display. According to Boldr, the smart thermostat’s manufacturer, that means you can use Klima with more than 10,000 different air conditioner models.

Once you connect the smart thermostat to your AC unit, you can use an iPhone or Android app to set a temperature window, allow guest access and more. For a limited time, you can get the Klima smart thermostat for only $134.99 (regularly $145).

The first installment of the animated adventure trilogy WondLa will premiere on Apple TV+ in June. It’s the most ambitious children’s show the streamer has launched.

The series is adapted from a New York Times bestselling book series by Skydance Animation, and has a star-studded voice cast.

You can change the name of your Apple devices, whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods or Apple TV. By default, it’s just “[your name]’s iPhone.” But you can give your iPhone its own unique name, like Kit-Kat or Magic Rectangle.

Also by default, when you set up a new iPhone, the name is transferred. This can get confusing if you keep old phones around because you’ll see “John’s iPhone,” “John’s iPhone (2),” maybe even “John’s iPhone (3)” and more. The same is true for Apple Watch, Mac, iPad and AirPods.

The name of your device shows up among a bunch of Apple features like AirDrop, Find My, Personal Hotspot, AirPlay and more. If you use these features often, giving it a unique name will make it easier to identify.

Here’s how to fix this mess on all your Apple devices. Keep reading or watch our video.

A new feature in iOS 17.5 will allow you to submit your iPhone for repair without turning off Find My and Activation Lock. Apple added a new Repair State mode in iOS 17.5 beta 4 for this.

Currently, you must turn off the security feature on your iPhone before submitting it for repair. Failure to do so could prevent Apple technicians from repairing your device.

We’ve got a great deal on a comprehensive Microsoft productivity bundle for PC users. This all-in-one Microsoft bundle gives users lifetime access to Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2019 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro for only $49.97 (regularly $428).

It’s great for anyone who uses a Windows machine and wants to avoid annoying subscription fees. (We know plenty of you run setups with both Macs and PCs.)

Amazon launched a bunch of deals Tuesday on Apple gear that includes what looks like a lowest-ever price by a touch on Apple Pencil 2. And it matches low prices on AirPods Pro 2 and Studio Display, and offers nice prices on Apple Watch and AirTag packs.

No, you didn’t deactivate the wake-up alarm in your sleep this morning. Apple is aware of a problem that sometimes causes the iPhone’s Clock app to fail to set off alarms.

A fix is on the way.

On your next road trip, you can get fast charging for your MagSafe iPhone in a sleek design with the new Pitaka MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2, the company said Tuesday.

The upgraded charging mount is certified to deliver 15W fast charging and NFC functionality for iPhone and Android handsets. And at 10%, it costs an affordable $54.

Apple’s Beats lineup is expanding with two new products: Beats Solo Buds and Beats Solo 4. They offer long battery lives and attractive price points.

Both offerings won’t rival Apple’s AirPods in any way but price, but if you frequently switch between Android and iPhone, you might like Beats’ new options.

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are teaming up again for The Instigators. It’s a buddy action comedy with the two playing thieves stealing from a corrupt politician.

The Apple TV+ film premieres in August.

The Big Mac Utility Bundle is a collection of 16 Mac productivity apps you can use for everything from generating QR codes or troubleshooting your Wi-Fi connection to revealing the files your Mac automatically hides.

Skip the hunt for Mac apps that enhance how you use your Mac. Get the Big Mac Utility Bundle while it’s on sale for only $39.99 (regularly $221.83).

Ukraine’s Air Force needs to launch modern U.S.-made missiles from Soviet-era fighter jets in combat. The surprise solution to the disconnect? iPad.

Apple tablets reportedly give the vintage aircraft the ability to control a variety of weapons systems supplied by Western countries after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Apple reportedly will increase the screen size in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Two tipsters recently revealed mockups of the 6.9-inch version alongside the smaller models in the iPhone 16 series.

If the rumor of a larger iPhone 16 Pro Max proves true, it’ll be among the more significant changes to the iPhone design in years.

With new iPads expected right around the corner at Apple’s May 7 “Let Loose” event, you can expect discounts on older models. Check out Monday’s great deal at Best Buy — the lowest price on M1 iPad Air 5 (64GB, Wi-Fi) at $399. That’s a whopping $200 off.

And that’s not the only iPad deal at Best Buy going on right now. See others below.

Today’s beautiful MacBook Pro and PC setup lets the two “frenemy” computers work easily in the same setup through a 4K external display’s built-in KVM switch. That means no messing around with cables, and no swapping out or re-pairing peripherals.

The iPad joined the European Union’s list of “gatekeeper” platforms Monday. The designation requires Apple to make the same sorts of sweeping changes to iPadOS that the company already made to iPhone, including allowing sideloading of applications.

Apple has six months to implement the modifications.

It’s possible to remove an Apple ID from your iPhone without a password using UnlockGo.

You can unlock iCloud Activation Lock without a password or the previous owner, remove a forgotten Screen Time passcode without data loss, bypass MDM locks and more. It’s a really powerful app and it’s available for both Mac and PC.

If you get a second-hand iPhone but find out the seller didn’t fully reset it beforehand, UnlockGo will fix it. Here’s how it works.

The BAFTA Television Craft Awards — a branch of the BAFTAs, often thought of as the British Oscars — awarded wins to Apple TV+ hit series Slow Horses and Silo, the iPhone giant said Sunday.

The acerbic espionage drama Slow Horses won for best editing and best sound. Sci-fi series Silo landed wins for best production design and best original music.

In addition, Apple TV+ received further nominations in the upcoming BAFTA Television Awards.

Whether you’re working remotely or recording content, your video quality matters. If you’re ready for a webcam upgrade that can make your videos shine, try the Obsbot Tiny 2. It’s an AI-powered 4K webcam that automates a lot of the technical details like adjusting for lighting or focusing on the star of the show (undoubtedly you).

This smart webcam is also marked down for a limited time. Right now, you can get the well-reviewed Obsbot Tiny 2 for just $319.97.