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iOS 17.4 with new emoji, huge changes for EU is almost here

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iOS 17.4 logo
iOS 17.4 will bring changes, but you'll have to live in Europe to get most of them.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

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.

Hot rental market for unreleased Vision Pro springs up in China

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Vision Pro on table
Huge numbers of Chinese appear eager to try out Vision Pro -- not yet released there -- and they'll pay to do it.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

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.

Grab the best smartwatch for your iPhone for $70 off

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deep discount on Apple Watch 9
You don't want to miss these deals on Apple Watch Series 9
Photo: D. Griffith Jones/Cult of Mac

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.

All 2025 iPhone 17 models might have ProMotion, always-on screens

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All 2025 iPhone 17 models might have ProMotion, always-on screens
Get ready for a screen upgrade in the iPhone 17.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

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.

Why iPad’s Center Stage is probably never coming to iPhone

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iPad’s Center Stage is the best thing to happen to video conferencing
iPhone is unlikely to get Center Stage, Apple’s brilliant addition to video conferencing.
Photo: Apple

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.

Grab a Dollar Flight Club membership for cheap airfare and perks

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Grab a Dollar Flight Club membership for less than $50 to save on airfare.
Save hundreds of dollars on flights for life with a $50 Dollar Flight Club subscription.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

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 Arcade’s future: Kids win, but devs fear ‘smell of death’

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Apple Arcade's future is kids games with big names
Games with an established brand aimed at children -- like SpongeBob -- are apparently the future of Apple Arcade.
Photo: Apple/Nickelodeon

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.

Take up to $400 off MacBooks while you can

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save $400 on MacBooks at Best Buy
These MacBook deals at Best Buy range from $150 to $400 off.
Photo: Best Buy

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.

M3 MacBook Pro supercharges trader’s rig [Setups]

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M3 MacBook Pro setup
The 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro with 36GB of unified memory handles powerful software.
Photo: [email protected]

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.

New 3-in-1 global charger eases battery woes worldwide

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Journey Axie wall charger and power bank
The compact charger is highly portable for your international travels.
Photo: Journey

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.”

Apple TV+ notches 11 SAG Award nominations — and Lily Gladstone wins [Updated]

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Killers of the Flower Moon posters featuring SAG best actress Lily Gladstone
SAG nominated Lily Gladstone and the ensemble cast of "Killers of the Flower Moon" for awards.
Photo: Apple TV+

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 engineers reportedly explored working on a smart ring

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Apple Ring is the health accessory we need
Apple Ring, AirPods with advanced health sensors, smart glasses — Apple considered working on such smart wearables.
Concept: Victor Soto/BluePoly

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 continues plugging away at HomePod with large display

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HomePod with a larger Display concept
A HomePod with a larger touchscreen -- perhaps something like this concept -- is supposedly on the drawing board at Apple.
Concept: Apple/Cult of Mac

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.

3 iPad Pro improvements better than a thinner chassis

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2024 iPad Pro: Thinner isn't always better
There's no reason to slim down iPad Pro when there are better options.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

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.

Wild iPhone and iPad rumors, plus some Vision Pro sob stories [The CultCast]

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Mockup of purple iPhone 16 Pro with a rumored camera module.
Will Apple really give the iPhone 16 Pro camera module a radical redesign like this?
Image: Majin Bu

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.

Masters of the Air stays a high-flying hit for Apple TV+

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Austin Butler, who recently played Elvis Presley, stars in the show.
"Masters of the Air" continues to be near the top of the popularity charts.
Photo: Apple

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 Russian invasion, Ukrainian coders keep up the fight

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MacPaw's Kyiv office during blackout.
MacPaw's Kyiv office during a blackout.
Photo: MacPaw

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.”

Brilliant Belkin iPhone stand uses Apple DockKit to keep camera pointed at user

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Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro in use
The Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro can be your virtual cameraman, whether you're making a TikTok video or simply on a video call.
Photo: Belkin

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 2 drops to lowest-ever price

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Sell Apple Pencil 2 or Magic Keyboard through Cult of Mac buyback program.
The Cult of Mac buyback program pays top dollar for used Apple gear.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

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.

Slick new Yamaha speakers blast rapper’s soundtrack [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup with new Yamaha speakers
This setup replaced big ol' Yamaha speakers with smaller new ones the user said sound just as good.
Photo: [email protected]

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. 

CdkeySales end-of-February offers: Get Windows 10/11 Pro for $17 and more

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CdkeySales Windows logo
Use promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com to score major savings on Microsoft software.
Photo: CdkeySales.com

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.

SPONSORED

This post is brought to you by CdkeySales.
You can find surprisingly low prices at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com now and throughout the year. To get the most savings, enter promo code CULT. That cuts an additional 30% off the site’s low prices on software keys. And what’s more, you get a free upgrade to Windows 11 when you buy Windows 10.

Never pay for web hosting again with this cheap, unlimited lifetime deal

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Launch your own websites in seconds with this unlimited hosting deal.
With iBrave, you can easily launch your own website in seconds. And you pay just $89.97 for life for unlimited sites!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

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).

First-ever iOS trojan steals your face to break your bank [Updated]

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Trojan horse: first ios trojan goldpickaxe
The deceptive iOS trojan GoldPickaxe steals facial-recognition and more to get at your money.
Photo: Pexels-Kamal-Hayit

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.