Aqara launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign Tuesday for its new Smart Lock U200. Built on the Thread networking protocol and native to the Matter standard, the lock will integrate with many smart home devices. But its compatibility with smart-home platforms like HomeKit — and its support for Home Key in particular — will come from future software updates.
We all love our devices, but it can be a nightmare hunting for the appropriate charger. And if you have limited desk space, the last thing you want is a mess of cords when you’re just trying to get through the workday. This 5-in-1 MagSafe charging stand is an elegant, simple charging solution that can power up to four devices at once, without overcharging.
Plus, it even doubles up as a lamp with three different brightness levels. It’s available for just $54.99 (regularly $79.99) — the best price you’ll find on the web.
Connecting your Mac, iPad or iPhone to an HDMI monitor is easy as plugging the HyperDrive Next USB-C to HDMI 4K60Hz Cable into both devices.
The affordable adapter with a built-in 8-foot cable reached store shelves Tuesday.
Apple’s reported cancellation of its electric car project strikes me as one of the most demoralizing decisions the company has ever made. And I’m not sure which is worse, the Apple car cancellation, or the revelation of how Cupertino plans to reroute most of Project Titan’s brainpower.
The long-rumored Apple car was never a done deal, obviously. But it stood out as a moonshot project capable of transforming transportation and improving our everyday lives.
Now we find out that Apple won’t be going to the moon. Instead, Cupertino might be taking a me-too detour to Gibberish City.
In a somewhat shocking development, Apple reportedly completely canceled all development on its self-driving car program on Tuesday.
The company is shifting its emphasis to artificial intelligence, instead.
Apple just seeded the release candidate of iOS 17.4 to developers. When it goes to the general public — probably next week — it’ll bring in a collection of new emoji to iPhone, and a more secure version of iMessage. For Europeans, the update will be a major one, as it’ll usher in sideloading and other changes.
The release candidate for iPadOS 17.4 also came out Tuesday. However, macOS Sonoma 14.4 is still on beta 5.
Apple hasn’t released Vision Pro in China yet, but that hasn’t stopped scads of merchants from offering the headset for rent to enthusiasts. Many of them appear to think the AR headset may go beyond typical gaming uses, a new report says. Vision Pro rentals in China have attracted tens of thousands of customers.
Some eager testers think Apple’s pricey Vision Pro bests competitors like Meta’s Quest 3, as well.
Despite being in the news for all the wrong reasons, the Apple Watch Series 9 is the best smartwatch for your iPhone. And if you take advantage of Amazon’s Apple Watch Series 9 sale, you can get the smartwatch with up to $70 off.
The savings mean you can get the 41mm Apple Watch Series 9 for just $329, down from $399. As for the bigger 45mm variant, it’s available for a low price of $359.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus will have the same type of screen as the Pro versions, according to a new report. That means all four 2025 iOS handsets will offer 120Hz ProMotion, always-on displays.
If true, it means Apple will have to come up with new ways to differentiate its top-tier models.
Center Stage is a brilliant feature that lets an iPad’s front-facing camera follow someone on a video call. Center Stage is not available for iPhone, though. And apparently, it never will be.
Apple developed an alternative version called DockKit, but this requires an add-on accessory.
Seeing the world doesn’t have to be expensive if you’ve got the best travel tools by your side. If you want to save on airfare forever, you can grab a Dollar Flight Club lifetime membership at a deep discount right now.
Gain lifetime access to the Premium Plus+ plan for only $59.97 (regularly $1,690).
Apple TV+ has not officially said if British crime drama series Criminal Record is a go for season two. But its star and executive producer, Cush Jumbo, says it’ll happen.
She said so on a talk show late Sunday night.
Apple Arcade now focuses so heavily on family-friendly titles from well-known franchises that some indie game developers feel abandoned, according to a new report. Some even predict doom — or at least creative stagnation — lies in Apple Arcade’s future if things don’t change.
Cupertino’s shifting priorities leave the developers, who Apple once wooed for the service, with few incentives for creating new Apple Arcade games.
Looks like the end of February is a great time to score an incredible deal on MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. And that’s because Best Buy offers save $400 on MacBooks. Various models on sale include a powerhouse 15-inch MacBook Air at a record low price.
So if you’re ready to save, check out select sale items below.
What kind of performance boost do you get when you go from an M1 MacBook Air to an M3 Pro MacBook Pro? A pretty big one, if today’s MacBook Pro setup from an investor is any indication. They made sure to purchase a model with plenty of unified memory — 36GB — to ensure no number of open tabs would slow them down too much.
Journey’s new 3-in-1 wall charger and power bank can ease battery anxiety for world travelers. The Axie 10,000mAh Global Charger and Power Bank comes with international plugs that work in 150 countries.
The company pitches the Axie as a boon for international travelers — and “the fix for low battery dramas.”
After the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards showered Apple TV+ with 11 nominations in January — for Apple Original Film Killers of the Flower Moon and hit TV shows The Morning Show, Lessons in Chemistry and Ted Lasso — the streamer managed to net just one win Saturday in Los Angeles. SAG named Lily Gladstone best actress.
To be precise, she took the prize for Outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for Killers of the Flower Moon. She’s the first indigenous person to do so.
Now that she has a Golden Globe and a SAG award under her belt, her chances of bagging the Best Actress Oscar on March 10 seem even brighter.
Apple’s industrial design team reportedly proposed working on a smart ring a few years ago. The ring would have apparently packed all the health-tracking features of the Apple Watch.
Additionally, Apple engineers recently discussed working on smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans. In both cases, though, the devices are just an idea, with the company not actively working on them.
Apple reportedly hasn’t given up on the idea of a HomePod smart speaker with a built-in display. It’s supposedly still in development in Cupertino.
There have been leaks and rumors of such a smart home device since at least 2021.
The OLED display in the upcoming iPad Pro reportedly will allow the tablet to be more than 20% thinner. Which is … fine. But if the OLED panel takes up that much less room, there are plenty of improvements Apple could make to its top-tier iPad that would enhance usability more than slimming down an already svelte computer.
Perhaps Apple’s 2025 iPad Pro could use the extra space for more battery and more ports.
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:
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.