Macs are expensive, but their performance and build quality help justify their steep price tag. But what if you are on a tight budget? Amazon has a deal just for you, knocking a whopping $249.01 off the M1 MacBook Air.
With the discount, the 2020 MacBook Air is available for an all-time low price of $749. If you want to buy a new Mac for cheap, do not miss this deal.
Apple TV+ revealed that the thriller Hijack starring Idris Elba is getting a season two. The first was hugely popular but the premise of the show — a guy stumbles into a hijacking — made coming up with a non-stupid followup a struggle. It seems they found a way.
“It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!” Elba promised Wednesday.
Trend alert: We’re seeing more computer setups cutting down from dual apple studio display setups — or sometimes a few — to one external display. This is no scientific survey, but today’s setup looks like another example of several we’ve seen popping up on social media lately where a user wants to simplify and focus in that way.
And commenters compared the choice of display that remained — a Dell 4K gaming monitor — favorably to Studio Display.
If you don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for an Apple Watch, but are curious about its benefits, check out this $40 starter smartwatch. The CMax Lite Bluetooth Smartwatch is not as slick as Apple’s device, but it does some of the same things: heart rate monitoring, calorie counting, alarms, weather, calendar and more.
The CMax Lite Bluetooth packs a lot into a low-cost package. For just $39.99, you can pick up a smartwatch to use fitness tracking, maximize your connectivity and give you a little more info about what your body’s doing.
iOS developer Riley Testut, the brains behind AltStore (the original alternative App Store), has a great take on Apple’s plans to open up the App Store in the European Union
This is “everything I’ve been wanting for the past few years,” he said after Apple laid out its plans last week. “Even reading the announcement I was tearing up.”
Testut, who lives in Texas, has a vested interest in Apple loosening its grip on the App Store to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. He’s the co-creator of AltStore, a hacky skunkworks project that enables sideloading of iPhone and iPad apps. Now he’s working to transition AltStore into an officially sanctioned app marketplace that complies with Apple’s new rules.
In an exclusive interview with Cult of Mac, Testut talks about the hidden upside for iPhone owners around the world; the downsides of Apple’s strict new framework and fees; and the joys of making AltStore one of the first legit third-party app marketplaces in the EU.
Testut’s take on Apple’s plans for opening up iOS is perhaps the best to date, and well worth a read.
Sharing files using services like Dropbox and Google Drive isn’t as easy — or as aesthetically pleasing — as it could be. That’s precisely why Smmall Cloud was started. Once you get the Smmall Cloud Mac app, anytime you need to send a large file to a client, co-worker, student or friend, all you need to do is drag and drop. Yup, it’s that easy!
Right now, you can get a lifetime individual Smmall Cloud plan for just $79.99 (regularly $288). That gets you 50GB of storage, and a fast and easy way to share any files (up to 5GB each) that you stash there.
iPhone’s lack of two key features — generative AI and a foldable design — could cause a significant decline in shipments in 2024. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says without these advances, the iPhone will fall behind amid a “new paradigm in high-end mobile phone design.”
Kuo cites supply chain sources to back up his predictions. However, there are numerous reasons to doubt his opinion.
★★★★☆
NexDock lets you easily add a 13-inch external screen, keyboard and trackpad to your iPad or iPhone 15 and make them even more useful. Plus, there are bonus features: The all-in-one accessory recharges the Apple device, and includes a microSD card reader and an additional USB-C port.
I tested the Nex’s NexDock for this review, and found it a great fit for iPad — and a somewhat problematic one for iPhone 15, though a third-party app helps. Here’s why.
Amazon bargain site Woot! is offering deep discounts, anywhere from 13% to 83% off, on dozens of Apple accessories and a few choice items like Apple Watch Ultra and AirPods Pro — but only until Wednesday at 9:59 p.m. PT.
As of Tuesday morning, one item had sold out and 52 remained, including accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch, AirTag, AirPods and more. See some highlights below.
The first reviews of Apple’s Vision Pro gush compliments on the augmented-reality headset, with one reviewer calling it “mind-blowing” and another “stunning.”
However, there’s also plenty of criticism for the high price, weight and slim collection of software available when the product launches later this week.
Need a portable charger to juice up your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch pretty much anywhere? Enter our new giveaway! Through January 31, Cult of Mac and Kuxiu offer users worldwide the chance to win a sleek Kuxiu X55 3-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger and Stand.
The little three-way charging stand, which folds up small enough to slip into a pocket, normally retails for $79.99. It and other products are on sale now for Valentine’s Day, but wouldn’t you rather just win one? Enter the giveaway below. X55 stands will go to three lucky winners worldwide.
Tax season is almost here, but don’t let the stress get to you. If you’re worried about your state or federal filing, why not simplify the whole process with a tool from a reliable tax-prep organization? With this H&R Block tax software, you get tools to streamline your state and federal filing from start to finish.
Normally $49, it’s priced at only $29.99 for a limited time. Act now to ease your way into your big tax return (so you can spend it on a Vision Pro headset).
If you don’t want to go “nearly nude” with your iPhone 15, check out Laut’s supremely stylish and highly protective cases for the handsets.
You can shop all 14 products in the Laut collection, including 11 cases, two screen protectors and one lens protector for iPhone 15, in the Cult of Mac Store. See some highlights below.
Martin Scorsese’s historical crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon has been the most popular movie since it hit the Apple TV+ streaming service in mid January, according to a market analysis.
The fact that the film earned ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, surely helps.
Whether you’re boiling an egg, holding a plank or taking a break from working on your screen, a reliable timer comes in handy. But don’t settle for a boring old kitchen timer. With this digital timer, you can give your cooking, fitness and other time-intensive activities a boost.
It’s called the Digital Magnetic Flip Productivity Timer, and you set it just by flipping it. And, for a limited time, it’s on sale for only $24.99 (regularly $29). Don’t dilly-dally … time’s a-wastin’!
Apple’s popular 15-inch M2 MacBook Air once again hit its lowest-ever price, sliding down to $999 at Best Buy on Monday for the base model.
And while that’s for the entry-level configuration with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, a few different configurations are $300 off, so you can add unified memory and/or storage space and still save a bundle.
One of the most popular, critically acclaimed and flat-out weird shows on Apple TV+ — the darkly comedic workplace thriller Severance — has resumed production on season two after pausing for the recent writers strike.
Apple posted on X (formerly Twitter) about it Monday. Take a look below.
Major League Soccer’s 29th season kicks off February 21 on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, but fans can subscribe to the service starting Monday, Apple said.
International superstar Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami CF late last season, so 2024 will see his first full season with the club, and fans can also check out a variety of exclusive content.
With all the computer setups out there with two, three and even five displays, sometimes you’ll see them stacked. But a dual-Studio Display setup that stacks one on top of the other is a rarity.
Today’s Mac Studio user, who is also an avid PlayStation 5 and Ninendo Switch gamer, said the stacked displays work well and don’t cause any neck pain from looking up all the time.
Believe it or not, a video game you know and love could turn into a fulfilling, lifelong career. And we’re not just talking about esports, where pro gamers compete for cash and prestige. For instance, driving simulator Gran Turismo could set you up for success on a real racetrack. Or factory simulator Satisfactory could prepare you for a role in project management.
If you’re the proud owner of an iPad, you should get yourself a stylus that will help you write and draw well on the tablet. But an Apple Pencil 2 will set you back $129 (if you don’t find a good sale). So how about something just about as good for less than half the price? Enter SwitchEasy’s EasyPencil Pro.
Check out the SwitchEasy Sale in the Cult of Mac Store to get 20% off two versions of the stylus, plus extra tips for writing and drawing.
DJ Novotney first started at Apple in June 1999, and now he’s been lured away by electric-car-maker Rivian.
Over his two decades with the company, he helped design many iconic Apple products, including iPod, iPhone, iPad and more.
Any time a company sends a push notification to an iPhone, its application can gather information about the user, including their location, according to security researchers. Meta and TikTok reportedly use push notification tracking, and many other companies do it, too.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution for users to protect their privacy and keep apps from spying on them.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Vision Pro preorders didn’t exactly go smoothly last week. In our post-mortem, we discuss what went right, what went wrong, and why we can’t wait to finally get our hands on Apple’s headset.
Also on The CultCast:
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.
A noted Apple critic used the terms “malicious compliance” and “hot garbage” to describe the elaborate rules the company laid down Thursday for allowing European iPhone users to sideload applications.
Those blasts came from Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, a company that’s locked in a legal battle with Apple over App Store rules. But other devs also cast aspersions on Apple’s framework for setting up App Store rivals. They pointed out that the new system comes with a huge financial obligation, and that it will make free apps almost impossible.
To be clear, though, not all developers are unhappy. Apple’s new rules also drew some compliments.