Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 16 Pro rumor comes with a mockup that looks like a fidget spinner. Will Apple really do that? On the other hand, the latest iPad rumors sound totally believable.

Also on The CultCast:

• There’s an iOS trojan in the wild that steals your face to drain your bank accounts.
• Apple is hard at work future-proofing iMessage to keep it safe from quantum computer attacks.
• We discuss the new Apple Sports app, including one of its weirdest features: betting odds. (Supporting gambling seems like a strange move for the normally vice-averse Apple.)
• Erfon recounts his Vision Pro return experience, with some interesting behind-the-scenes intel.
• Also on the Vision Pro return front, Griffin tells us his sob story about parting ways with the expensive headset. (Don’t miss the surprise twist ending!)
• And finally, Griffin raves about a new wireless microphone in an Under Review segment.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

The WWII drama Masters of the Air draws in a big audience. It’s stayed near the tops of popularity charts of two different ratings services for weeks now, ever since the premiere in January.

Critics like it too, so the ongoing series that dramatizes the U.S. Army Air Force’s role in helping defeat Germany is another success for Apple TV+.

And the historical crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon continues to be a crowd pleaser as well.

Two years after the Russian invasion, one of Ukraine’s preeminent Mac software companies isn’t just surviving. In fact, MacPaw is doing pretty well — shiny new bomb shelters notwithstanding.

The company behind CleanMyMac X and Setapp has launched new products — including some designed to take the fight to Russia. MacPaw also opened a satellite office in Boston and donated millions to humanitarian efforts, all while most of the company’s employees have remained behind in the war-torn country.

“Living and working amidst the unjust full-scale Russian invasion poses numerous challenges for our team,” said Nina Bohush, a senior MacPaw PR specialist based in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city. “Just imagine a morning that starts with loud explosions outside the window because of another Russian attack … Of course, going through these unprecedented circumstances impacts people’s mental health and productivity.”

The Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro is the first-ever accessory to work with Apple DockKit. Using this tech, it can hold up an iPhone, rotate and tilt to keep the camera focused on the user during video calls.

After being announced CES 2024 in January, the accessory reached the market on Friday.

Apple Pencil is one piece of Cupertino kit for which there are plenty of cheaper third-party alternatives. But why shop around for those often not-as-good choices when you can get the lowest price on Apple Pencil 2?

Right now you can nab one on Amazon for $79. That’s down from the regular price of $129 — $50 off! And the still-capable Apple Pencil (1st generation) is on sale for even less. See below.

For those who get by with audio from a laptop or display speakers in their computer setup — as good as that can be these days — an upgrade to desktop speakers offer a real treat for the ears. Today’s MacBook Pro setup from a Florida-based rapper just got a nice set of brand new Yamaha speakers and jacked them in to a huge subwoofer under the desk. 

Late February may be the dead of winter, but the hot deals on Microsoft products are very much alive in CdkeySales.com’s End of February sale. Bargains galore await on Microsoft productivity software like Windows and Office, including a great Windows 10 Pro deal.

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Despite its small size, the iPad mini costs $499. If you want Apple’s smallest tablet, Amazon has a deal that knocks up to $120 off the device.

This discount drops the price of the entry-level iPad mini to just $399. And if you opt for the 256GB configuration, it is available for $529 after a hefty $120 off.

You don’t need us to tell you that the future of everything, both business and personal, is online. So, whether you want to host your professional portfolio, or launch stores, blogs or countless other exciting projects, having a website is essential. To do that without breaking the bank, you’re going to need cheap web hosting — which traditionally can cost anywhere from a hundred dollars a year to hundreds of dollars per month.

It doesn’t have to, thanks to this special deal. For a limited time, you can get your hands on unlimited web hosting for life with the top-rated iBrave lifetime subscription for just $89.97 (regular price $899.10).

For the first time, an iOS trojan has been spotted in the wild. Adapted from a well-known Android trojan, GoldDigger, the new malware is called GoldPickaxe, according to a new report. And it steals an iPhone user’s facial recognition data to go after money in banking and other financial apps. We’ll show you how below.

Known for docks, hubs and other Mac-friendly accessories, OWC has put together a big sale on Amazon. You can get up to $100 off Thunderbolt docks!

We’re focusing on Thunderbolt docks that can help you broaden your computer setup’s connectivity. But you can also find external hard drives, memory kits, keyboards, cables and more in the sale.

Weight isn’t the only way to measure your health, but if you use a dumb scale, that’s the only insight it gives you. If you want a more holistic look at your wellness, try the Roomie Sophie Smart Body Scale. It’s a smart scale that can measure body fat and more.

In fact, it measures 11 key health and nutrition metrics and comes with a free health app. And for a limited time, it’s on sale for just $27.99 (regularly $79).

Google Chrome uses artificial intelligence in a new experimental tool that makes it easier to start writing or improve something already written online. “Help me write” can punch up the content of any text field in the browser.

It’s coming to Mac and Windows, and is just the latest AI addition to Chrome.

A wall charger is useless when there’s no power socket handy. That’s why Belkin recently launched one that has a built-in battery so it’s ready to charge up your iPhone even when you’re off the grid.

Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid Wall Charger 25W + Power Bank 5K has a pair of USB ports and flip-out power prongs for maximum adaptability.

I put it through a series of tests with my iPhone 15 Plus, and it came through quite well.

The SwapSolar, Bluetti’s very first “ecosystem,” pairs a power station with a portable fridge. The combo is designed to power up all your outdoor activities and keep your food and drinks chilled. But the Bluetti SwapSolar is currently heating up Indiegogo.

The crowd-funding campaign for SwapSolar — which combines the new MultiCooler (the world’s first portable refrigerator powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries) and the AC180T hot-swappable battery power station — launched Tuesday on Indiegogo and quickly eclipsed Bluetti’s $50,000 goal. There’s still plenty of time for you to get in on the deal, though, with multiple perks and discounts available for early backers.

Now hear this: Apple TV+ dropped a trailer Tuesday for its upcoming documentary series Earthsounds, narrated by Golden Globe winner and Emmy Award nominee Tom Hiddleston.

The streamer said you’ll “hear our planet like never before in the new 12-part immersive natural history series.” All episodes become available February 23.

Spark, a renowned email client for iPhone and Mac, is getting a new AI-driven My Writing Style feature. While the email app already offers AI-powered writing assistance, the new feature aims to mirror your writing style. This will enable you to use AI to draft emails in your voice and style, giving them a personal touch.

Apple recently seeded the fourth beta of iOS 17.4. Despite this late into the beta cycle, iOS 17.4 beta 4 packs several notable changes.

Below are all the changes we have come across in the latest iOS 17.4 beta along with an archive of all the changes in the previous beta builds.

There’s no time like the present to jump on a great deal on a very cool laptop computer — $200 off an M2 MacBook Air. You can get that price on a midnight- or spay gray-colored model at B&H Photo.

Right now you can get the highly rated laptop — 4.9 out of 5 stars at B&H — for just $1,149, down from $1,349. That’s a great deal on a bantamweight machine that packs a powerful punch, thanks to Apple silicon.

The second-generation version of Astropad’s Rock Paper Pencil includes an improved version of the textured iPad screen protector. Theres also a more durable Apple Pencil tip.

The combo is designed for digital artists who want drawing on an iPad to feel more like using a pen on paper.

An iMessage upgrade with post-quantum cryptography will make Apple’s instant messaging platform ready to fend off future hackers. Today’s encryption methods likely won’t be able to stand up, which is why Apple is bringing in the cutting-edge protocol.

The new tech will launch in March, making iMessage the most secure, widely used messaging service in the world, according to Apple.

The Apple Watch Ultra is famously rugged and great for endurance sports. But no wearable is truly indestructible. So if you want to make your Ultra even tougher, put it in the Elkson Quattro Pro 2.0 bumper case with band for Apple Watch Ultra.

The case/band combo, which now comes in six colors, is available in the Cult of Mac Store for just $23.99.

Mechanical keyboards are all the rage for folks who love their nuanced typing feel, customizability and all that clickety-clackety noise.

Today’s featured Mac Studio and dual-Studio Display setup boasts a great mechanical gaming keyboard, the NuPhy Halo75, with custom keycaps.

For the first time, iPhones captured the top seven out of 10 spots on a list of bestselling smartphones worldwide, according to Counterpoint Research.

And guess what? iPhone 15 series handsets enter the list not at the top, but at No. 5. Many markets place a greater value on less expensive handsets.

The new Apple Sports app for iPhone gives fans access to real-time scores, stats and more for their favorite teams across a wide range of sports leagues. The free app launched Wednesday on the App Store.

“We created Apple Sports to give sports fans what they want — an app that delivers incredibly fast access to scores and stats,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, in a statement.